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Ian & Lisa Conquer Kilimanjaro

Sept 17, 2010

A big-hearted couple from Oldbury have reached new heights for charity after successfully scaling Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Ian and Lisa Cupples trekked for six days to reach the summit – and have raised around £1,500 for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, the only independent adult hospice serving Birmingham and Sandwell. 

Ian, who works for HSBC in Birmingham, and Lisa, who works at Linak-UK Limited in Smethwick, arrived back in the UK on September 11, 2010.  

Lisa described the Tanzanian adventure as a spectacular experience. 

She said: “On the fourth night at 12am we started the summit attempt. It was pitch black and extremely cold. I had three pairs of gloves on at one point as I couldn’t get warm.  

“But the worst part for myself and Ian was the lack of oxygen. I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open as I walked and I kept nodding off. I felt quite sick by this point.   

“Ian didn’t find it too physically demanding but he had a constant headache for the whole day and struggled with his breathing too. Although he was more worried about looking after me so that took his mind off it slightly.” 

According to Lisa, the climb to the summit took 15 “exhausting” hours, with a number of people dropping out along the way. However, when they reached the top of Kilimanjaro they were greeted with “spectacular views.” 

The trek back down the mountain, thankfully, was much less demanding and only took a quarter of the time it took for the ascent.  

Lisa said: “Coming down was lots of fun; much of it was loose scree so we were able to run down and we were back down in a quarter of the time it took us to get up. We had another day of descent the following day and then we were back down, with the entire trek taking six days in total.” 

On completing the challenge, the climbers, both aged 28, thanked their guides with a special ceremony where Swahili songs were sung. 

Hospice Head of Fundraising Caroline Taylor was delighted to hear of Ian and Lisa’s mountain success.

She said: “We are truly grateful to Ian and Lisa for undertaking this difficult challenge to raise money for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. Hearing about the final day’s climbing, it sounds like they endured real physical hardship for the benefit of their local hospice. On behalf of everyone at Birmingham St Mary’s I would like to say a huge thank-you.” 

Since its launch in 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has cared for tens of thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and MS.  

With around 52 percent of the Hospice’s budget reliant on public goodwill, community fundraising is crucial to ensuring its highly specialised services can continue to be offered to the people of Birmingham and Sandwell. 

In addition to a 25-bed Inpatient Unit, Birmingham St Mary’s boasts a 20-place Day Hospice and provides community care to people who wish to stay in their own homes.  

The Hospice also supports relatives with bereavement preparation, physiotherapy tuition and counselling in addition to many other services.  

Annual running costs stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in the Hospice’s shops and £2.7 million via fundraising. The remainder comes from the NHS. 

Birmingham St Mary’s nurses, often referred to by patients and relatives as ‘angels’, are renowned for going that extra mile to ensure people with terminal illnesses enjoy the best possible quality of life.