Two Moray women have raised more than £8,000 for two charities after completing a 12-day expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Lily Carmichael, (24), from Forres, and Emma Henderson, (53), from Kinloss, joined a team of 25 climbers to tackle the 19,340ft peak, the world’s highest free-standing mountain above sea level. Vital funds were raised by Lily and Emma for Erskine Veterans Activity Centre North (EVACN) in Moray and Youth Talk in England.
The pair chose to support EVACN, which is one of two Activity Centres run by Scotland’s leading veterans charity Erskine, in Forres, because of their personal links to the military community. Lily is a military child and Emma a military wife, and both have seen first-hand the support Erskine provides to veterans and their families.
Secondly, Youth Talk based in England focuses on young people’s mental health, encouraging them to talk openly and raises awareness and education around mental health.
The challenge began with a jungle trek before six days on the mountain acclimatising to the altitude. One of the toughest moments came during the final ascent, when the group climbed through darkness and freezing temperatures to reach Stella Point and finally Uhuru Peak.
Lily said: “Walking through the darkness hour after hour at altitude was incredibly difficult, both physically and mentally. You are battling the cold, exhaustion and altitude, but our guides kept encouraging us to keep moving. Reaching the summit as daylight appeared was overwhelming, there were tears all round.”
Michael Parkes, Fundraising & Development Manager for the North at Erskine, said: “A huge congratulations and thank you to Lily and Emma for conquering Mount Kilimanjaro. What an incredible achievement.
"The staff and veterans at our Activity Centre in Forres are so grateful to Lily and Emma for their phenomenal determination and energy. Their amazing fundraising will help EVACN continue to support veterans across North Scotland with a range of life-changing and life-saving services and activities.”
After four-and-a-half days climbing and a day-and-a-half descending, the pair celebrated completing the challenge with a well-earned rest and a safari in Kilimanjaro National Park.