Chloe’s mountain challenge for children’s charity

A WESTBURY woman will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro next year to raise money for an international children’s charity.

Chloe Bleackley will take on the mammoth climb with a team from her university next August, in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for Childreach International. Chloe, 19, grew up in Westbury and went to Matravers School. She now studies biomedical science at the University of Hertfordshire.

She tells White Horse News, “I’ve never done anything like this before so I’m incredibly nervous about it! “I worry about whether I’ll make it to the top, whether I’m going to panic, and even the summit itself. I’m excited abut climbing to the top of the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, seeing the incredible views all the way to the top, proving to myself that I can do this, and raising a lot of money for a fantastic cause.

“I need to reach a stage where I can comfortably carry a bag weighing 10kg for eight hours. To train for this I’m carrying weights on my back and using ankle weights on treadmills and cross-trainers. I’ll also be completing hikes of increasing length in the new year.”

Chloe is aiming to raise around £3,000 for the charity, which works to improve children’s access to education and healthcare in developing countries. She is also looking for a company to sponsor her in return for their logo making it to the top of one of the world’s tallest mountains.

To donate to Chloe’s fundraiser and follow her progress go to www.facebook.com/cb.kilimanjaro

“I think it’s so important that every child has the right to education and good-health,” Chloe added. “Childreach works to make sure this becomes a reality so I was happy to take on the challenge for them.

“It’s disappointing that now in such a progressive world so many children are still going uneducated and dying from simple ailments; I’d like to be a part of stopping this.”