A town clerk will be climbing Africa’s highest peak this month to raise money for a homeless charity.

Weymouth Town Council Clerk, Jane Biscombe, aims to complete a five-day trek to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, 19,000ft above the Tanzanian savanna.

She will be raising money for The Lantern Trust, an independent registered charity founded in 1983 to help vulnerable and marginalised people in the Weymouth and Portland area.

Mike Graham, Chief Executive of The Lantern Trust, said: “All of our services are experiencing unprecedented demands being placed on them.  Never in the Lantern's history has the number of people approaching our services been so high. 

“Jane's amazing effort and fundraising for us will go direct to our front-line services.  Thank you, Jane, for raising funds for us and good luck on the incredible challenge you have undertaken for us and the community of Weymouth.”

As an avid adventure trekker, having previously climbed the Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu, Jane is excited to embark on her next challenge and has undertaken rigorous training to build up stamina.

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She said: “There is relatively little climbing and mostly walking which is difficult at high altitudes. You need strong leg muscles; I’ve been walking on Chesil Beach to get used to walking on unstable ground.”

Jane’s training was interrupted after she tested positive for Covid on Christmas Eve. Despite this, Jane has still managed to complete lengthy walks across the local area.

“Last Thursday I did four hours up and down Weymouth Beach on the sand and shingle from the Pavilion to Bowleaze Cove. I’ve done it three or four times. If I can do that, surely Kilimanjaro will be a breeze.”

Her journey will begin on January 29 where she will trek through grassland, forest, moorland, and alpine desert to reach the ice cap summit.

Jane shares her fears for the final day which will involve a four-hour ascent to the summit followed by a nine-hour descent.

“I’m really excited to be tackling such a challenge, but also quite scared because of the altitude and the cold. It starts at 2am and it’s going to be -15 degrees Celsius - those four hours up in the cold and the dark are going to be quite challenging.

“But I’ll be digging deep and thinking of the fantastic work The Lantern Trust do.

“I wanted to support The Lantern Trust because they support local people at a time when they most need help. We’ve all had difficulties in our lives, and I am lucky that I’ve not had to face some of the challenges that some Weymouth residents have had to.”

Donations to The Lantern Trust can be made by following the link to their Just Giving page: 

https://www.justgiving.com/page/jane-biscombe-1690376278123?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fjane-biscombe-1690376278123&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share