Fellows conquer Kilimanjaro

Theo Fellows and her daughter Pips have conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the Charity's Skin Tumour Unit Fund. Theo's son Oliver was diagnosed at aged 18 with Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma, a cancer of the skin, and his family are determined to raise £3,500 to support research at the Unit.

Theo and Pips were exhausted by the trip, but jubilant about their massive accomplishment, saying: "No one can really prepare you for just how hard this mountain really is, but the sense of achievement afterwards is huge."

After four days' enjoyable trekking the pair started the final assault at midnight on day five, climbing for nearly eight hours to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. Theo described the conditions: "It was bitterly cold, very dark, extremely steep - about 45 degrees - and difficult underfoot. Our lungs really ached, and every step was a huge effort. When we eventually got to the top, our bodies felt totally spent, our water had frozen, and we had another three hours' descent to look forward to."

Pips successfully bid for her school's charity of the term and so The King's School, Canterbury have played an integral role in fundraising, raising £3,023.70

The Skin Tumour Unit is a referral centre for patients with all forms of primary cutaneous lymphoma and malignant melanoma. It has an international reputation for clinical excellence and research, offering a range of treatments and undertaking clinical trials for new therapies.

Funds raised from Theo and Pip's adventure will support the work of Christine Jones, a Charity-funded PhD student in the laboratory. Christine's work involves looking at T-cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for searching out and destroying infections. She hopes to be able to distinguish malignant T-cells more effectively and identify differences that may reveal important clues as to how cutaneous lymphoma develops.

Theo added: "As everyone will appreciate, making a trip like this and raising sponsorship is one of the ways family can really help and make a difference. The treatment and cure of patients is down to the professionals. This is our contribution."

Theo and Pips have raised an amazing £9,806.50 from their exhilarating and challenging trip to Mount Kilimanjaro, beating their initial target by miles! If you would like to experience a trip of a lifetime, please check out our overseas challenge ideas or contact the fundraising team on 020 7188 1196.

The Fellows conquer Mount Kilimanjaro