Bolton Hospice boss and care home owner to climb Kilimanjaro

Judith Bromley, who is the chairman of Bolton Hospice and a joint managing partner of Bolton based solicitors Russell & Russell, will be joined by Gabrielle Macdonald, the owner of The Old Vicarage Care Home in Sharples, on the arduous trek.

The pair leave for Tanzania this week. It is expected to take them six days to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, and two days to climb down again.

They have completed charity challenges before, including climbing Mount Toubkal in Morocco and a trek in Nepal, but say this is the hardest one yet.

Mrs Bromley, who became the hospice's chairman in January last year, said the recent Midnight Memories walk around Bolton provided a good test of her fitness.

She said: "The walk was a good indication of my fitness.

"I was the lead walker as the chairman and I tried to do the eight miles in two hours, which I beat and finished in one hour and 45 minutes, so I was happy with that.

"But more than that, this challenge is more about mental endurance rather than physical endurance.

"We will be walking 47 miles over the space of a week, which is not an especially long distance, but it is at high altitude which makes it more difficult.

"We will also be sleeping in a tent without toilet facilities and showers, which is different than we are used to, so it will be a challenge of our endurance."

In addition, temperatures can fluctuate throughout the climb, ranging from about 25C on the ascent to about -15°C at the summit of the mountain, which stands at almost 6,000 meters above sea level.

The pair set a target of raising £6,000 for the hospice, but hope to reach nearer £7,000.

Mrs Bromley said these funds will be invaluable to the hospice.

She said: "It takes an awful lot of money for the hospice to keep its doors open, about £400 an hour, so this money will help to provide fantastic services or possibly new equipment."