THEY stood on top of Snowdon in the spring sunshine.
But in just four weeks, a Hade Edge couple hope to be even closer to the clouds.
Rosie Blackman and Andrew Sheard plan to be standing at more than 19,000 feet – on top of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.
And if they do reach the 5,895 metre summit, they hope to have raised more than £1,000 for charities including Huddersfield’s Kirkwood Hospice.
Rosie, a 28-year-old ecologist, and 29-year-old Andrew, a carpenter, don’t expect the five-day trek to be easy.
“The climb begins at 2,000 metres, roughly double the height of Snowdon.
“We will likely suffer considerable discomfort, typically shortage of breath, hypothermia and headaches,” said Rosie.
“We also have to carry all our gear in large backpacks and that’s going to be hard.”
One of their main targets is to raise money for Kirkwood Hospice, which is an independent hospice taking care of adults in Kirklees suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
The hospice provides care and support for the patients, their friends and families and in 2012 it cost over £4.2 million to provide these services, with 80% of that raised through fundraising.
Andrew said: “The hospice cared for my dad, Keith Sheard, in his final weeks and provided support for me and my family during this awful time.
“We’re also raising money for Cancer Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society, both national research charities providing important development in the battle against these two diseases. Alongside Keith, Rosie’s grandfather Fred Blackman and her uncle Tim both suffered from and lost their fight with cancer.
“In honour of them a third of the money donated will go to research into treatments and maybe one day cures for cancer.”
The couple, who plan another training climb this week, will also be supporting the work carried out by the Alzheimer’s Society.
Both have relatives who had suffered from Alzheimer’s.
Rosie said: “It’s Andrew’s 30th birthday this year and he wanted a challenge, to do something difficult but also to do something in memory of his dad.
“We are hoping we can raise tons of money for these amazing charities which have touched both our lives.”
To support the couple log on to:
