Hill in peak form for mountain challenge

INTREPID schoolteacher Stephen Hill has set his sights high.

For the popular tutor is heading for the biggest physical challenge of his life — scaling Mount Kilimanjaro.

At 19,330 feet, the inactive volcano in North-Eastern Tanzania is the highest peak in Africa.

It is renowned for causing altitude sickness, and each year the condition claims the lives of 10 climbers and several porters.

It is for that reason that the deputy head of St Joseph’s School, Shaw, has embarked on a strict training regime to improve his fitness.

The 37-year-old’s efforts to raise money for the Christie’s at Oldham campaign have caught the imagination of his pupils who are helping him collect sponsorship.

And they are urging him on in his training routine which involves hiking and climbing in the Lake District and working out with a personal trainer and a free six months gym pass provided by Oldham Community Leisure (OCLL).

He will train at Crompton Swimming Pool’s new gym, where duty manager Joanne Nield hopes he will help to spread the word about the benefits of exercise and the opportunities offered by OCLL.

“We are looking forward to working with Stephen over the coming months in aiding his progress to improve his fitness before the mammoth task of climbing Kilimanjaro,” she said.

Mr Hill will fly out of Heathrow on July 24 to join his team. They will hit the steepest and most demanding part of the climb on day five of the expedition, with a 15-hour trek to the summit by torchlight starting at midnight.

He explained: “We will plod very slowly in darkness and cold on a switchback trail through loose volcanic scree to reach the crater rim. We rest there for a short time to enjoy the spectacular sunrise over Mawenzi.

“It is then a three-hour round trip along the snow-covered rim to the true summit of Uhuru Peak, passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs that occupy most of the summit area.

“The final ascent is said to be extremely arduous but the reward is a spectacular dawn view of the glaciers and ice cliffs of the summit, and across the East African plains far below.”

Mr Hill will fund his trip, so all the money he raises will go to the appeal.

“It’s a great adventure and the children at school are right behind me,” he said. “It will be a very tough challenge, particularly the final ascent and the worry of altitude sickness, but I’m reasonably fit and I plan to train well before I go.

“It will be a new experience for me — I’ve never climbed anything more than Indian’s Head and Pots and Pans in Greenfield.

Mr Hill’s Year 6 pupils are holding a sponsored camp-out, cake sales, a live music night and a challenge in the style of the “Apprentice” TV show to boost the fund.

Responding to some of their concerns, he laughed: “So as long as I don’t get bitten by snakes or scorpions or eaten by a mountain lion then it should be an amazing experience that I’m sure I won’t forget in a hurry.”

You can support Mr Hill by visiting the website www.justgiving.com/stephenhill3






TO get help or advice in setting up a fund-raising event, contact the appeals office on 0161-446 3988, visit www.christies.org or text OLDHAM CHRISTIE followed by your name and address to 07971-456824 to receive a fund-raising pack. The pack will have details on how to make sure your money goes to the Christie At Oldham Appeal. Cheques should be made payable to The Christie (Oldham Evening Chronicle). If sending cash, enclose a covering letter to say it is for the Christie At Oldham campaign.