An intrepid team of Twickenham schoolchildren scaled Mount Snowdon to raise money for charity this month.
More than 20 families from St Mary’s C of E Primary School took to the Welsh mountain on May 18 in the hope of raising £2,000 to fund the rejuvenation of their nature reserve and to support Project Le Monde.
The charity, which has been running for nine years, has built three schools in Uganda and is currently constructing its fourth.
Chris Mair, who climbed the mountain with his sons Bear, seven, Louis, nine, and Fred, ten, said: “It was certainly a bit more daunting than I was anticipating.”
He added: “When we saw the peak It looked absolutely gargantuan, and there were a few nervous stares!”
Mr Mair celebrated his 43rd birthday atop the mountain and said he was impressed with the bravery of his youngest, Bear.
“He was more concerned about how tightly I was gripping his hand than the hundred metre vertical cliff-face besides us!” he said.
Despite more than nine hours of walking, every climber made it safely to the summit.
One mobile phone even informed the climbers that they had scaled the equivalent of a 230-storey building.
Anne Lotter, who organised the trip, also runs Project Le Monde.
ACHIEVEMENT: The group were walking for more than nine hours.
She estimates that the charity has been able to educate more than 4,000 Ugandan children who would otherwise not be in school.
By working closely with their Ugandan partners, the charity is able to ensure the money they raise is spent appropriately.
Ms Lotter said: “I ask ‘how you you like to spend it, and what are the greatest needs that you perceive?’ rather than what we think their greatest needs might be, which could be completely different.”
Alongside the infrastructural work, the charity send ‘Bags of Love’ to Ugandan schoolchildren, while also finding a new home for unwanted uniforms.
Ms Lotter said: “By giving these schools a uniform we’re giving them an identity, a sense of community and a sense of belonging.”
She hopes that events like the Snowdon climb will reinforce the links between English and Ugandan schools.
The charity and school even have plans to tackle Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in the coming years.
As well as St. Mary’s, Ms Lotter said that Radnor House has been ‘fantastically’ supportive of Project Le Monde’s fundraising.
A group from the school will be visiting Uganda in the Autumn.
St Mary’s fundraising page can be found here, while there are more details about Project Le Monde’s work on the charity’s website.
