Lara’s Christmas Kilimanjaro climb for SARSAS!

After signing up to the challenge in June, Lara threw herself into a relentless training plan, which included climbing Pen-y-Fan and hiking along the hilly Jurassic coast with her four-legged hiking buddy, Hadley. She told us, “I went on the stepper with a weighted vest on at the gym for 1-2 hours, 2-3 times a week and I also did weight training to strengthen my ankles, knees and legs generally twice a week.”

Lara flew out to Tanzania on 17 December to begin her physically demanding 8-day hike. The challenge, which involved trekking through extreme climates and surroundings, took Lara through dense rainforest, huge ravines, scorching heat and dangerously icy altitudes.

After arriving at basecamp on Christmas Eve, Lara prepared for the most gruelling part of her climb. At midnight, her group set off in the pitch black and braved their way through the snowy conditions and -26°C temperatures for the final hike to the summit of the mountain on Christmas Day morning.

Lara said of her adventure, “That was THE hardest thing I have ever done. I loved every second, albeit I loved the most difficult parts a little while after the moment… from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to all those that have donated to SARSAS. It means the world to me and will save so so many people from a terrible place.”

We’re incredibly grateful to Lara for her HUGE fundraising efforts! We’d also like to thank our partners, and Lara’s employers, Simmons and Simmons for their continued support for our cause and their generous donation to Lara’s fundraising campaign. The money Lara raised will help us to continue supporting people whose lives have been affected by sexual violence.

If you’ve been inspired by Lara’s Kilimanjaro challenge, there are lots of different ways you can fundraise for SARSAS. From skydives to fun runs, please email fundraising@sarsas.org.uk for a fundraising pack.