Silcoates School dad to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Wakefield Street Kitchen

The organiser of the trip, Paul Land, 39, has set a goal of raising £2,000 for Wakefield Street Kitchen, which offers hot meals to people in need every week, as well as sorting out free food parcels from its food bank.

The dad-of-one will fly to Tanzania on Saturday, along with Anand Mistry, a teacher at Silcoates School, and seven of their mates, before they embark on the climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and back in just six days.

Paul and Anand want to give back to the charity after seeing the fantastic work the volunteers do with helping the district’s most vulnerable, while pushing their physical, mental and emotional limits to the extreme.

Paul said: “Climbing Kilimanjaro has always been a personal goal of mine. I was brought up hiking and climbing, so it is something I very much enjoy.

"I’m not getting any younger so I decided to do it, and it has gone from one person to nine.

"I hadn’t planned to raise money for charity, but I thought something good should come out of this.

"I wanted the charity to be local and something that I see happening, which is why I chose Wakefield Street Kitchen (WSK).

"I see the hard-working volunteers in town, and having a young family, I wanted to help other families in need and vulnerable people.”

Mount Kilimanjaro stands at 5,895 metres above sea level, making it the world’s tallest free-standing mountain.

Paul added: “Wakefield Street Kitchen is an exceptional charity, powered by volunteers, that provides vital support and assistance to the homeless and vulnerable individuals in our community.

"The volunteers go above and beyond to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious meals, warm clothing and a safe place to find comfort and companionship.

"This organisation is a true beacon of hope, and we are honoured to have the opportunity to raise funds and awareness for their incredible work.

"During our six-day climb, we will push our physical and mental limits to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

"It will be a gruelling, yet incredibly rewarding, journey filled with challenges, perseverance and triumphs.”

Anna Natasha Howard, a trustee and founder of Wakefield Street Kitchen, said: “At a time when the cost of living is so high and more and more families are relying on the services of Wakefield Street Kitchen, we are amazed that Paul and Anand are planning an epic journey to climb Kilimanjaro to raise much-needed funds to enable us to keep serving our community.”

Wakefield Street Kitchen was founded in 2019 and since then it has since gone on to deliver tens of thousands of hot meals and food parcels to individuals and families in Wakefield.

The charity is completely run by volunteers and relies on donations to keep the doors open.

To donate to Paul’s online fundraising page, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/paul-land-1686578074261?utm_source=messenger&utm_medium=one_page&utm_content=page%2Fpaul-land-1686578074261&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=ec3900b1573a44cabfc9a5ce439d5a2d&fbclid=IwAR0ctDZ2fqzKHKmx4r_HUYqiJ3VQMdIQWbsxRPKG5rejGiESPhp-JaraiBs