Oxfordshire Local Climbing Kilimanjaro To Raise Money For UK Charity

In 100 day’s time, Oxfordshire local Graeme Hackland will be climbing Africa’s highest mountain as part of a charity team initiative to raise £1million for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA).

The campaign, known as Martin’s Mountain, follows Manchester Arena bombing survivor Martin Hibbert as he scales Mt. Kilimanjaro in a specially adapted Mountain Trike, having sustained a paralytic spinal cord injury in the 2017 attack.

Now, five years on from the incident, Graeme - of Grove, Oxfordshire - will be joining Martin and his 11 other team members on a seven-day trip traversing the rocky and rugged path to the summit. With a goal of raising £1million for the charity and helping those who, like Martin, are facing similar life-changing spinal cord injuries.

As part of the run-up to the momentous Kilimanjaro challenge, the Martin’s Mountain team is encouraging the public to get involved too, and has launched the #MY19 social media campaign, challenging people to get away from their home desks and get outside in the fresh air for 19 minutes. These 19 minutes represent the 19,000ft of Kilimanjaro and the mountains that those living with spinal cord injuries must face every day.

To show your support for Graeme and get involved with #MY19 challenge, follow 3 simple steps:

1. PARTICIPATE:Go outside for 19 minutes to enjoy some fresh air or exercise.
2. SHARE: Upload a photo or video of yourself during your personal challenge to social media using the ‘#MY19’ hashtag.
3. NOMINATE & DONATE: Nominate a friend to do their version of the #MY19 Challenge and then donate to Martin’s Mountain via the JustGiving page.

Martin Hibbert said of the challenge: “It’ll be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But climbing Kilimanjaro is only part of the story. My true ambition is to enable every spinal cord injured person to receive the specialist care and support they need to live the life they choose and reach their full potential. I want to start a movement that will create a better and fairer society for disabled people.”