Abode’s managing director Darren Holiday and two of his friends climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Darren has personally raised over £10k to date for Hartlepool Families First, with the figure still rising, and between the three of them raised almost £25k for a number of charities related to Sudden Death in the young.

Darren Holliday’s message at the top of Kilimanjaro said: “A dream come true! We made it to the 5895m high summit of Mount Kilimanjaro after a final night climb of 1295m in freezing temperatures. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the most worthwhile.”

The climb saw the 38 strong team which included porters, guides, medics and cooks trek between 4-8 hours daily for seven days to climb to the top and back in freezing conditions. They made it to the dangerous, near vertical summit, at 6.05am On Thursday 29th June, trekking in -17º conditions.

Hartlepool Families First enables disabled children in Hartlepool to enjoy life to the full. Darren chose it because a 19 year old healthy son of a friend, who worked for the charity, went to bed one night last October and never woke up. He died of Sudden Death Syndrome.

If you would like to donate and support Darren’s climb in memory of George Wall, please visit his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com