PCSO trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro

CRIME reduction officer PCSO Beth Poole (pictured) has this week taken part in a massive challenge to trek up the 19,341ft to the highest summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of leading mental health charity Mind.

Beth, who covers the South Somerset area, has been joined on the trek by a group of 22 colleagues from Avon and Somerset Constabulary  on the self-funded trek via the Marangu or ‘Coca Cola’ route.

They have been following in the footsteps of celebrities such as Ronan Keating, Gary Barlow and Cheryl Cole who successfully completed the climb for the BBC’s Sport Relief in 2009. 

Beth and the team have endured altitude sickness from the lack of oxygen, sleepless nights and temperatures as low as -26 degrees Celsius as they trekked through five ecological climate zones over 6 days. 

They left for Tanzania on Monday (October 1, 2012) and the trek is expected to take six days. The journey from the gate to the peak is likened to traveling from the equator to Antarctica in a matter of days, walking about 52 miles through bushland, rainforest, heath, alpine desert and finally artic conditions.

Beth, speaking before she left for her epic adventure, said: “I remember watching the BBC’s Sport Relief Mount Kilimanjaro challenge on the TV and being in awe of the celebrities but never imagined I’d someday be attempting the climb myself.

''Whatever happens, it’ll be the experience of a lifetime and an opportunity to raise money for a very worthy cause that has personal significance for me.”

If you would like to support Beth, you can visit her online fundraising page at www.virginmoneygiving.com/BethPoole-Trek for more information and to make a donation.

Tags:
News.