Contact us on 01255 750900

14th October 2021

14th October 2021
October 14, 2021 Katie King

Thorpe-le-Soken’s inspiring Amelia to climb Ben Nevis

AN inspiring young girl who loves walking is now just days away from tackling a grueling mountain climb in aid of African children in need.

Amelia Waterman, 7, of Thorpe-le-Soken, is a star student at Alton Park Junior School, in Clacton, and a dedicated Brownie who enjoys the great outdoors.

Next Saturday the determined trekker will put her passion for exploring and adventure into practice when she climbs Ben Nevis, in Scotland. The summit of the iconic and towering mountain, where Amelia is headed, sits a staggering 1,345 meters above sea level.

Amelia, previously part of the Clacton Rainbows, is taking on the testing challenge in aid of Benin Christian Support. The non-profit organisation provides humanitarian aid to orphans and widows in West Africa and any funding raised will go towards helping those cared for by the charity.

Speaking ahead of her trek, Amelia said: “I love walking and reading and being outside and I want to help the children in Africa. “I am a bit scared but excited. I go walking with my nan every day at the weekend and we always walk 12-miles a day but once we walked 17-miles.”

The Benin Christian Support for which Amelia is fundraising was actually founded by her nan Penny, who will be joining her granddaughter on the walk. The pair will also be supported by strollers Gill Kendall, chairman of Benin Christian Support, and Sue and Paul Mills, of Birmingham, who are followers of the cause.

“My nan has been walking since the first lockdown and she has lost lots of weight,” added Amelia. “We go out in all weathers and she loves the children in Africa, so I want to go and help there too.” The climb, undoubtedly, will be far from easy, but perhaps not quite as much of a struggle as the challenges faced by the charity itself over the last 18-months. Maureen Saunders, a spokeswoman for the organisation said: “Benin is one of the poorest countries on the planet.

 

“Things have been very difficult for the charity during the pandemic, constantly struggling to raise the money needed to keep all our projects on course. “At the moment we are paying for everything, including schooling, inscriptions, holiday coaching, which is compulsory, books, equipment and fees. “This is amounting to, in the region of, £8,000 – we have sponsors but for children’s education more money is always needed.”

Donations can be transferred directly into Benin Christian Support’s HSBC bank account, for which the sort code is 40-21-25 and the account number 11392840.

If you would like to receive a newsletter about the charity call 01255 862618 or 07930 938444 and ask for Maureen Saunders.

Click here to view the full article