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Shirenewton Charity Challenge at the top of Africa on Mount KilimanjaroShirenewton, 25th July 2010: A group of seven fund raisers, with an average age of 58 yrs, has succeeded in their attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Chepstow Free Press on Wednesday 7th July reported that the fund raisers from Shirenewton Church were currently climbing the mountain. The group reached the summit at 5:45am on Sunday 11th July.
Kilimanjaro is the largest highest free standing mountain in the World with Uhuru Peak being 5,895 metres (19,341 feet) - this is 515 meters (1,640ft) higher than Everest Base Camp.
Having walked four days to reached Barafu Camp (4,600m), the group left it at 11:00pm on Saturday 10th July to attempt to reach the summit. They reached Stella Point (5,728m) at 4:50am on 11th July, having climbed 3,375 feet in 6 hours. The final 167m gain took a further hour and included walking across the compact glacial ice.
After spending approximately 30 minutes on the crater rim and watching the sun rise on a beautiful monring, the group then descended to Mweka Camp (3,090m) which is a descent of 2,805m (i.e. 9,200ft) which equals 1.75 vertical miles! A total of 14 ½ hours climbing/descending. There is a record of their progress at www.twitter.com/kilitweets.
The charity climb will is expected to raise about £15,000 and will help local African charities as well as contributing to paying off the debts on the Shirenewton Church Extension.
Kevin Bounds, Chairman of the fund raising group and one of the climbers, explains; “This was the toughest physical challenge I have ever undertaken. Personally, I was one of the group who suffered altitude sickness. However, despite the hardship everyone in the group made it which is a great achievement for a group of our advanced years. We will have raised about £15,000 in sponsorship and would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors”.
On the same morning as the group climbing Kilimanjaro a parallel group of walkers were experiencing a damper sunrise on the top of Pen-y-Fan (South Wales’ highest mountain).
The aim of the Pen-y-Fan sunrise walk had been for a group of walkers to experience the sunrise over Wales from the summit of Pen-y-Fan on the same day as the Kilimanjaro climbers experience the sunrise over Africa. Unfortunately the weather was less than kind and sunrise over Pen-y-Fan was ‘damp’ and unspectular!
The Kilimanjaro walkers were Kevin Bounds, David Cornwell, Kha Koon Cornwell, Charles Eickhoff, Lyn McFarlane. Tom Peirce and Pat Sullivan. About Shirenewton ChurchThe Church of St. Thomas a’ Becket Shirenewton has existed since approximately 1220 and was constructed the fifth Humphrey de Bohun - the first Humphrey de Bohun, having come over from Normandy with William the Conqueror, his cousin. The Church was dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury who was murdered in his Cathedral in 1170. The Church has a solid square tower, placed between the chancel and the nave; the practice at this time being to build churches with a two-fold purpose, as places of defence as well as of worship, and this is a good example of a Norman fortified church tower. It has a battlemented top with a turret at the N.E. corner and slits in the sides, originally for defence purposes, although today they are used to hold the four spindles which operate the hands of the clock. Editors notes:All walkers paid their own expenses and all sponsorship will be going to the charities.
Full sized images of the photos below are available by clicking on the link. All photos copyright Shirenewton Charity Challenge and may be published with acknowlement.
For more information please contact the webmaster: webmaster at shirenewtonchurch.com or 01291 641715
Or Kevin Bounds (k.bounds at btinternet.com) 01291n 641818 Photos
The team at Uhuru Peak 5,895m. From left to right:
Kha Koon Cornwell, David Cornwell, Pat Sullivan, Lyn McFarlane, Kevin Bounds, Charles Eickhoff, Tom Peirce
Sunrise over Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro. Members of the Shirenewton Charity challenge silhouetted.
Glacier on top of Kilimanjaro at dawn
The crater on top of Kilimanjaro at dawn
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