Student from Horsham to climb Kilimanjaro for meningitis charity

Annabelle Esslemont-Edwards will climb Mount Kilimanjaro from Saturday, August 28, alongside peers from the University of Reading where she is currently in her second year studying a biomedical sciences degree.

Her target is to raise £3,500 for the Meningitis Research Foundation, and she has already reached 50 per cent of her total following six months’ worth of fundraising.

She said: “One day in November, when I was walking around campus, I saw an Instagram account written in chalk on the ground called @readingrag_kilimanjaro.

“I was intrigued, as earlier on that day I had seen a poster saying something about people climbing Kilimanjaro. I decided to follow this up and discovered they were advertising for people to join the trip.

“I could never have imagined I would have the opportunity to do a sporting challenge as spectacular as this whilst in full time education and immediately signed up after confirming the dates.”

The fundraiser in Tazania, which has been organised by Choose a Challenge, is nine days in total including six days of trekking.

Annabelle will will be part of a team of 40 from the University of Reading and the University of Exeter.

Participants will face remote environments with limited facilities with the added test of high altitude – 5,895m above sea level – but Annabelle, who has a sporting background, has been preparing for the physical challenge by taking on various fitness related fundraisers including a half marathon earlier this month.

She said: “I’ve always been very keen to try sporting challenges as they seem like fun and a great opportunity to meet new people.

“I have been involved in lots of sports growing up – I represented Sussex hockey for three years, and have also represented Sussex netball and Sussex athletics over the course of a year and I had a sports scholarship at Christ’s Hospital school.

“I was proud to have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh bronze and silver award schemes whilst in my final years at school and feel that my fundraising for such a worthy cause and my trip to Kilimajaro are in the true spirit of the DoE ethos. I was saddened to hear of the passing of Prince Philip.”

Annabelle has been fundraising remotely since November by doing things such as a raffle, a guess the money in the jar competition, the half marathon, online campaigns and sending money she earns through privately tutoring maths to her fundraising page. She is also in the process of organising a fundraiser with her former primary school, where the children are going to have a ‘Kilimanjaro day’.

All the money she raises will go directly to the charity and the costs of the trip will be self-funded.

She said: “I will be doing this climb to raise money and support the Meningitis Research Foundation, whose aim is to have a cure for meningitis by 2030.

“Meningitis and newborn sepsis are responsible for the deaths of more children under the age of five than malaria, measles, tetanus and AIDs combined, so it’s a foundation I feel very passionately about supporting.

“There is also a significant risk for university students starting in their first year. It’s the first time for most of them to be living is such close proximity to a significant number of peers. It’s known that a quarter of 15-19 year olds will be carrying meningococcal bacteria.

“Teenagers in the first year of university are the second largest risk group. So there’s another reason that hits a bit closer to home.

“Any contributions at all towards this fantastic cause would be hugely appreciated. Seeing as I have never raised more than about £100 before, this is a huge challenge for me to accept, but one I am excited to try my best at!”

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/annabelleessedw