The heat is on as Steve heads to the Sahara

DESERT adventure: St Joseph’s School deputy head Steve Hill points to his destination with (above, from the left) Molly Swindell, Elizabeth Pandolfo, teacher Carole Morrison, Luke Smith, Macy Byrne, Ethan Kershaw and Dylan Whittingham

School teacher Steve Hill is swopping his ice pick for desert boots as he prepares to tackle his hottest challenge yet.

The deputy head of St Joseph’s Primary School, Shaw, has conquered the summits of Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc, and had set his sights on scaling the slopes of Russian’s Mount Elbrus.

But fears over safety on the 18,510ft inactive volcano, which is close to the Georgian border, meant it was cancelled at short notice and Mr Hill had to hunt for another challenge.

“My plans were scuppered because of unrest in the area. Chechen rebels are fighting there so it was decided it wasn’t safe to go,” he explained.

“I had planned to go over the Christmas holidays, and finding another mountain at short notice was difficult because most of them are seasonal.

“So I decided to go for something completely different and walk 150 miles across the Sahara Desert.”

Tent
Mr Hill wanted to undertake a memorable challenge to mark his 40th year, and will do it with the support of his Year 6 pupils, and to raise money for their charities of the year.

He will battle against searing heat during the day, eat food prepared on campfires, lit to ward off sub-zero night-time temperatures, and sleep in a traditional Bedouin tent.

“It will be very hot during the day, very cold at night, and it won’t be easy walking in the sand. It’s a tough trek but I’m confident I can do it,” said the undaunted explorer.

Mr Hill will fly from Heathrow two days after Christmas for his adventure in the world’s largest desert, and return to home shores on January 7, when it will be back to the blackboard, to inspire his pupils with tales of his travels.

Mr Hill’s drive to conquer some of the world’s most famous summits was the motivation for his past Year 6 pupils to undertake mammoth fundraising efforts for charity.

They were swept along with his enthusiasm, followed his exploits closely, and raised money throughout the year for charities of their choice.

They raised well over £12,000, and Mr Hill said: “We wanted to keep up the momentum of our fundraising, so I decided to undertake a further challenge or two again this year.

“Following discussion with my new, extremely enthusiastic Year 6 class, and with their full support and encouragement, I’ve set myself the desert trek challenge.

”Again the children have decided that they want to be involved in the fundraising, and help to raise funds for the Christie charity and Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

“As always I am self-funding the trip so every penny that we manage to raise will go directly to these wonderful charities.”

Mr Hill is busy training in the gym and running to get in the best possible shape as the date of his departure looms.

He said: “Friends, family, colleagues and parents from school have again been fantastic all offering to sponsor me, whilst my class are currently organising a variety of wild and wonderful fundraising events throughout the coming months.”

You can sponsor Mr Hill by logging on to the website www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Hill2.