A group of six Aberdeenshire Active Schools co-ordinators will climb Africa’s highest mountain to raise money for a cancer charity.
The group were inspired to undertake the climb up Kilimanjaro after their colleague, Paul Robinson, was diagnosed with terminal cancer late last year.
They have so far raised more than £23,000 for the Anchor Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Mr Robinson, 56, who is still receiving treatment at the unit, worked as a co-ordinator at Fraserburgh, and moved to the same post at Braemar and Banchory last summer. At the time of the diagnosis Mr Robinson had only just moved to The Manse, Tarland, from Fraserburgh with fiancee Marion Robinson. The couple were married earlier this year.
One of his colleagues, Susan Mackintosh, said: “I had seen Paul in hospital and I thought I needed to go and do something. I looked at things like the Great Wall of China and Kilimanjaro. I thought it was more appropriate as Paul would probably have opted for it himself.
“When I went back and said I was going to do it, he announced he had done it. I spoke to a few of my work colleagues and they wanted to get involved too.”
She said the amount raised so far was “unbelievable”.
The group will leave on October 7. The climb will take a week and the descent one day. “We can’t wait now, the visas have arrived and reality has hit and we all want to go,” Ms Mackintosh, who is based at Banff, added.
Ms Mackintosh will be joined on the climb by Roddy Hall, a teacher at Turriff Academy, and fellow active school co-ordinators Kerry Massie, Kemnay; Stuart Glennie, Westhill; Abi Hay, Alford, and Derek Atkinson, Laurencekirk.
To donate to the charity visit www.friendsofanchor.org and click on Summit Seekers Donations.
Friends of Anchor fundraising manager Fiona Pearson said: “On behalf of Friends of ANCHOR we would like to thank everyone involved in the Kilimanjaro Summit Seekers fundraising events which have taken place throughout the north-east this year.
“We would like to wish the intrepid climbers the very best of luck when they set off in October on their mountaineering adventure.”