1st March 2010
An Ipswich business man is swapping the saddle for walking boots and is preparing to complete an Everest Base Camp trek in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
Robert Fella, owner of Moons Cycles in Norwich Road, will leave the UK on March 14 to follow in the footsteps of the world’s greatest explorers and experience the best views of the world’s highest mountain.
Robert, who has a taste for challenges, said: "I decided to get sponsorship for my trip because having done the Milford Track in New Zealand, the Inca Trail in Peru and having climbed Mount Kilimajaro, I thought that I could have got sponsorship for a good cause.
"EACH provide care and support to life-threatened children and their families, and seemed to me to be an excellent local cause to help."
Robert will be going with his friend Kier Levell, whom he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with two years ago, and the pair are trying to do as much training as possible to help them cope with the tough terrain and altitude sickness.
Their journey will see them trek from Lukla to Kala Patthar through the Nepalese Himalays, where eight of the world’s highest peaks are found, climbing to a staggering altitude of 5.545m with amazing views of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu.
Robert added: "I have always loved the mountains, and this has been what I enjoy most. The challenge will tough but also rewarding with the spectacular views and the knowledge that we are raising funds to help local families supported by EACH.
EACH provides care and support for life-threatened children and their families in their own homes, as well as at the charity’s hospices based at Ipswich in Suffolk, which also serves North Essex, Quidenham in Norfolk and Milton in Cambridgeshire.
Some children may only have a short time to live, perhaps only weeks or months, others may reach early adulthood but the EACH aim is always the same – to enhance their quality of life and support their family.
EACH is a registered charity that relies upon public support for the majority of its required income of around £5.8 million.
