“Team Kili” who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the transformation of Hull’s historic Holy Trinity Church, from left, Nick Ward, Andy Allenby, Nic Marshall, Dave Garness, Jonathan Leafe, Iain Morrison, Neil Riseham and Brian Gilliland.
A team of intrepid Hull-based business leaders has reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, raising tens of thousands for Hull’s historic Holy Trinity Church.
The “Team Kili” challenge is the latest fund-raising drive as part of a £4.5m development project which is putting Holy Trinity at the centre of Hull’s exciting regeneration.
The eight-strong group climbed nearly 20,000 ft (5,895 metres) through a variety of challenging climatic conditions over seven days to reach the top of the world’s fourth highest mountain.
The successful team of climbers was made up of:
· Andy Allenby, Managing Director of property developer Allenby Commercial.
· Dave Garness, Managing Director of commercial property agent Garness Jones.
· Brian Gilliland, Holy Trinity’s Director of Development.
· Jonathan Leafe, Managing Director of creative marketing agency Strawberry.
· Nic Marshall, Chief Executive of outsourced communications specialist ResQ Outsource Solutions.
· Former Hull Kingston Rovers player Iain Morrison, who now runs a fitness training company, This Is Warrior.
· Neil Riseham, Divisional Director for Estates and Facilities at safety equipment and workwear company Arco.
· And Nick Ward, Managing Director of consulting engineers and construction consultants, Alan Wood & Partners, project managers for the Holy Trinity development project.
Using a satellite phone to call from the summit, Mr Gilliland said: “I can’t believe we’re at the very top of Africa – the view is absolutely stunning!
“It’s been an incredible adventure and the whole team have put in so much hard work and effort to make it to the summit.
“We want to thank everyone who has donated so far and, if you were waiting for us to reach the top before donating, then please do so now!”
The Vicar of Holy Trinity, the Reverend Canon Dr Neal Barnes, said: “This is a tremendous achievement from the team. They’ve endured some real challenges on this expedition and have galvanised wonderful support from the business community and other quarters for our development project.
“The team have raised a significant amount to support our exciting plans for Holy Trinity, with more to come. On behalf of everyone at Holy Trinity I would like to thank the team for their inspiring support.”
As well as individual donors supporting team members, two leading Hull-based companies, specialist engineering business Spencer Group and safety experts Arco, pledged more than £5,000 each to become “Summit Club” sponsors. So far almost £50,000 has been raised from the challenge, with the group hoping to drive the total much higher following successful completion of the climb.
The Kilimanjaro challenge is part of a wide-ranging fund-raising campaign to enable Holy Trinity to replace outdated and inadequate facilities, become accessible to the whole community and host a wider range of cultural and social events. The development project will also create new income streams to secure a long-term sustainable future for the church as a spectacular, vibrant and welcoming place of worship and community use.
Climb team members are urging supporters to continue to contribute to the fund-raising drive at https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/htdevelotpment/htdoeskili