Jamie Arrowsmith – Monday 5th September 2022 – 9:15am.
The only way is up for West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Claire Jones as she prepares to climb the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, Kilimanjaro.
As well as her paramedic role, Claire, who is based in Lichfield, volunteers for the Trust’s Staff Advice and Liaison Service, a peer support network within WMAS that provides signposting, advice and a listening ear to all members of staff. It is because of that role that Claire has decided to raise funds for The Ambulance Service Charity (TASC) when completing her trek up Kilimanjaro, for which she flies out on Friday.
TASC provides a range of services to support the mental health, physical rehabilitation and financial wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance staff, and is a charity close to Claire’s heart.
“I am hugely passionate about supporting ambulance staff with their health and wellbeing and if I can complete what will be the most challenging event I have ever done in my whole life for my colleagues, I will be very happy!”
Ahead of the 5,895m climb, Claire has been training hard, bracing herself for altitude sickness and temperatures ranging from 30 degrees at the bottom to -27 degrees during the night as she nears the mountain’s ecological zones to the summit.
Claire added: “This will be the hardest trek I have ever attempted, and I am extremely motivated to raise as much money as I can to fund as many counselling support sessions as I can for TASC.”
To help raise as much money as possible, Claire is fully funding the trek herself, so all sponsorship money raised will go directly towards the fund-raising pot and towards supporting her colleagues. If you would like to sponsor Claire or read more about her charity challenge, please click here.
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