Neil Hill, Jamaica's trade commissioner in London, will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. - Contributed
NEIL HILL, Jamaica's Trade Commissioner in London, will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for the Jamaica Basic School Foundation.
Mr. Hill, who will begin his four-day climb on Sunday, told Jamaica Information Service (JIS) news that he hopes to raise at least £2,000.
"I got involved through a friend of mine, who has been there three times before. So, in the middle of last year he asked me if I was interested and I said yes. There are six of us going up. We fly out on Saturday morning and we start climbing Sunday morning. I suppose what I
wanted to do was to not just climb, but to add some purpose and do it for charity," he said.
FUNDS FOR OTHER CAUSES
In addition to the Jamaica Basic School Foundation, Mr. Hill is also raising funds for the Kingston Hospital Cancer Trust in South West London.
"It is a four-day climb and the only thing that I suppose that will stop me from doing it is altitude sickness, which you can't train for. It can happen to anybody, but I am pretty confident," he said.
He told JIS news that his
training regime included his daily 16-mile bicycle ride to and from work.
"I cycle to work most days, which is eight miles to and back. I play five-a-side soccer and I go for runs on weekends," he added.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The Jamaica Basic School Foundation celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It is the brainchild of Jamaican-born Josephine Williams.
The foundation works closely with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture and the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust. Over the years it has provided financial and material support valued at more than £147,000 to basic schools in Jamaica.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, located in Northeast Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. Kilimanjaro is an extinct volcano. It towers 15,000 feet above the surrounding arid plains, with sections of its surface over 18,500 feet.
