An adventurous mother and daughter from Accrington have completed a monumental challenge – scaling the heights of Africa’s tallest mountain, Kilimanjaro, to raise funds for their local children’s hospice, Derian House.
Louise Scott, 53, and her daughter Amy Ross, 35, set off on the six-day trek after arriving in Tanzania last month (6 September).
They joined a group of adventurers, aged from 20 to 60, all united in their mission to conquer the iconic volcano, which stands as the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world.
The team endured a 17 hour-long hike on their final leg, trekking through the night in freezing temperatures until they reached the summit at sunrise on Friday 13 September.
Louise and Amy’s expedition raised £1,978.49 for Derian House Children’s Hospice, in Chorley.
“The challenge has been the most mentally and physically challenging thing I have done in my life,” said Louise, Senior Supplies Product Manager at Zebra Technologies, in Preston.
“Everyone who climbed Kilimanjaro did it for different reasons. I did it to raise money for Derian House. I volunteered there last year to help set up a Christmas event, and it was the first time I had visited. I was moved by the amazing work that they do. As a mum and grandmother, I can’t begin to imagine how the families feel, but it is such a beautiful, peaceful place and not at all what I had expected.
“We hiked to a new camp every day and saw rainforest, moorland and arctic dessert,” continued Louise.
“We started our push to the summit on Thursday evening and walked through the night, reaching Uhuru Peak on Friday morning. We then descended to our final camp and arrived that Friday evening.
“Everyone seemed to have a moment where they struggled and the whole group rallied around them. There was an acclimatisation hike on the third day where we ascended quickly in altitude, which caused headaches and nausea – this was my least favourite part of the trip. The Barranco Wall was my favourite day and reaching Stella Point, the volcano crater, actually felt like the biggest achievement after walking all night.
“We laughed a lot! When we were hiking, or when we were eating together in the mess tent, there was a huge amount of banter and laughter. Considering the age differences in the group and that a lot of us had only met for the first time, we all had a common purpose and supported each other wherever we could.
“Our guides from Kili Worldborn Safaris were our biggest cheerleaders and support. They baked us a cake at our last camp to celebrate summiting and they welcomed us at every camp with singing and dancing and at the bottom of the mountain in the same way, while presenting us with garlands.
“At the end, I felt completely and utterly exhausted but also elated. It seemed quite surreal and it is only now, a few weeks later that I can look back on it and think wow, I did that! Watching some of the videos and looking back on the photos is quite emotional.”
Donate to Louise and Amy’s Kilimanjaro trek on JustGiving.
Ellie Smith, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, said: “Louise and Amy took on a challenge of epic proportions, and they absolutely smashed it. What an incredible thing to do to not only raise vital funds for our children and families, but to raise awareness of what Derian House does too.
“It will cost £6million to run services at Derian House in 2024, so we rely on the bravery and kindness of our supporters who go to great heights – just like Louise and Amy – to help children whose lives are too short.”
Derian House, based in Chorley, Lancashire, cares for more than 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
