Rochfords • Fundraising

Where next... Watch this space.

A big thank you to everyone who has supported Paul on his expeditions and made the pain all the more worth while!

Charities supported:

www.treeaid.org.uk

www.kanyike-project.co.uk

www.greenfingersappeal.co.uk

If you would like any further information on the charities supported by Paul’s fundraising please contact Beccy@rochfords.net

GR20, Corsica.

One of the toughest grade walks in the world.

In June 2004 Paul Rochford our Managing Director fulfilled the dream of a lifetime by walking the length of the beautiful island of Corsica. The GR20 (Grand Randonnee) runs 120miles across the mountainous ridge which stretches along the island. Over £6,000 was raised through the kind generosity of Rochfords customers, suppliers, industry associates, family and friends. The charities supported were the Greenfingers Appeal and the Kanyike project - a village community in Uganda, where the money raised was used for the development of a water project.

Mount Kilimanjaro

The top of Africa. Summit 19,335ft

Having caught the bug, Paul set off to climb Kilimanjaro with his daughter Josie in January 2006. Against all odds - apparently middle-aged woman are most likely to succeed - they reached the summit on Thursday January 12th at 8am. They had climbed for 7hours through the night, in snow, 40mph winds and a temperature of minus 10. A phenomenal £9,500 was raised. For Kanyike this meant the installation of a borehole for the community. Tree Aid was the other beneficiary; Tree Aid is the UK’s only forestry focused development charity providing funding and on the ground training and support for local organisations in the Sahel region of Africa.

Mount Elbrus

The highest peak in Europe. Summit 18,510ft

In keeping with the Chinese proverb ‘Stay young - climb a mountain’ (loose translation) Paul picked Mount Elbrus as his next challenge - Elbrus is in the Caucasus range within the Russian federation. It presented a different challenge to the ascent of Kilimanjaro as the mountain is steeper and covered in ice. Crampons were essential! Not only is climbing the mountain a challenge but getting to the foothills involves several flights / drives and a multitude of visas. Yet again Paul was successful in his ascent and we have the pictures to prove it! The charitable support for Kanyike and Tree Aid was continued with a combined donation of £7,700. For Kanyike this gave them enough money for their new initiative: a technical, vocational education and training programme for orphans and vulnerable children. For Tree Aid the money went towards the Kandema Rural Regeneration project.