Southend: Hairdressers' Kilimanjaro Trek
4 October 2013, 00:00
Two hairdressers are currently in training for a 6-day trek to top of Mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise £8000 for the Southend Cystic Fibrosis Association.
The charity is very close to the heart of Grateful Heads owner Craig Smith, as his work colleague and co-climber Joe Tonge suffers from the disease - and when they make the summit, 19-year-old Joe from Westcliff will make history as the first ever person with cystic fibrosis to conquer Kilimanjaro.
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK's most common, life-threatening, inherited disease, affecting vital organs in the body, especially the lungs and pancreas, clogging them with thick, sticky mucus.
The lungs become progressively more damaged by bacterial infections as a result.
There is no cure for Cystic Fibrosis, and the life expectancy is around 30.
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest peak in Africa at a towering 5,895 meters (19,341 feet).
Craig and Joe's mammoth trek gets underway on 21 February 2014 and it will take them 6-days - 4 days to climb up and 2 days to descend - using the 37-mile (62 kms) Machame route, know amongst climbers as the "Whiskey Route" due to the toughness of the climb.
Joe said: "It's going to be a really tough challenge for us both - we've been training over the Hadleigh Downs and even that has been hard but I am in equal measures excited and totally terrified!
"We are both absolutely determined to do this, not only to raise as much money as we can for this really great charity that does a massive amount for people like me with CF, but also so I can raise awareness about this disease and prove that it won't stop me living my life to the maximum."
Craig added: "People are being really supportive, all our clients are being hugely generous and sponsoring us and asking how they can get involved. Our answer is come to our events! They are going to be great fun nights and raise much needed money."
Those events include a Curry & Live Music Night at The Squeeze Cafe in Leigh-on-Sea on Saturday 19 October, and a Quiz Night at The Mews in Southend on Monday 28 October.
Jo Richardson and her husband Miles set up the Southend Cystic Fibrosis Association 12 years ago and their son suffers from the disease.
Jo said: "We are ecstatic and absolutely bowled over that Joe and Craig are insane enough to do this for us!
"We are just a small local charity so both the money and awareness they will raise will make such a massive difference to the lives of people in Southend who have CF. I cannot begin to tell you how much what they are doing means to us."