Thank you for supporting Caring in Bristol!

They set off with little idea of what to expect.  Papa along with a gang of fabulous Bristol people – from chefs (Pony & Trap, The Pump House, Banchis, Adelina Yard) and hair dressers to film makers and letting agents they flew to Nairobi changing to Moshi before having a night in the hotel before their adventure.

The day before Papa fell!

Papa was presented with a little extra challenge – he twisted his ankle the day before going! Well bruised his food, very badly and thanks to Jules his co-climber covering him in ice packs and ibuprofen, was able to get on the plan and see how it went.  Brave indeed!

Papa has been training since June – walking everywhere around Bristol, spending a lot of time in the Mendips, Bannau Brycheiniog and the Cornish coast, getting the hear rate up and building the stamina. He has all the kit (there was a lot – thanks Ellis Brigham for all the help!).

The set off

The first few days were enjoyable and pretty breathtaking.  A day in the jungle to begin with working up to positions above the clouds.  How amazing! Their porters set up camp and fed them every day – this is what I’ve heard most about, the incredible support and kindness of the porters and guides who guided them up the mountain. How patient must they be?! And feeding a bunch of chefs must have been quite daunting, but I’ve heard so many good things about the food! Imagine cooking a three course meal up a mountain!

The summit

The greatest challenger was the dwindling amount of oxygen as they climbed.  The hardest was the final day, where they spent hours walking before a couple of hours’ rest.  Then at 11pm they were off in the dark up the steepest climb yet, exhausted and pretty discombobulated not being able to see much. And not being able to see the summit meant they didn’t have a point in the distance that told them how much further they had to go.  This is where people started to seriously struggle (the doctor apparently had to take a break and gather her energy) and some oxygen was given to those who struggled most. By dawn, they made it, freezing cold in sub zero temperatures, exhausted from lack of sleep and some hallucinating and falling asleep thanks to altitude sickness. So much determination got them there, before being able to take a moment to consider what they’d achieved .

Money is still coming in but it looks like tens of thousands of pounds have been raised already for Caring in Bristol, a brilliant charity which works with the homeless and those at risk of homelessness.

If you’d like to donate, please do so here.

We’re also raffling a giant 5kg panettone for the charity, so please do pop in to the deli and buy a £1 ticket.

Keep your eye out for lots of event in the city raising money for this great charity.  There’s a super lunch cooked by al the chefs at the Pony and Trap on the 21st of January – get in touch for info.