Jane goes to great heightsNews to raise funds for charity
JUST three years after having double knee replacement surgery, Jane Sinclair will be taking on Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world at a daunting 19,341 feet.
The paramedic is raising funds for The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC), which is dedicated to supporting her ambulance colleagues across the UK.
In 2018/19, the 62-year-old underwent double knee replacement surgery and since then has been working hard to re-build her fitness and strength.
Jane has been taking on walking challenges such as Hadrian’s Wall, half of Offa’s Dyke Path along the Welsh border, Yorkshire 3 Peaks and also shorter routes along the Malvern Hills, Cleveland Hills and coastal Cleveland Way – all in anticipation for the hardest climb yet.
The mother of two, from East Cleveland, will leave the Kilimanjaro basecamp around September 15 and the climb is set to take seven gruelling days. Jane will face a steep 6km climb to the summit and back, which will take her through tropical rainforest and snow-capped peaks.
She said: “I have wanted to go to Africa since my early teens. I saw the Kilimanjaro trek on TASC’s website not long after my surgery and thought that it would be a golden opportunity to fulfil my dream, give me a goal to help my surgery recovery and raise money which will help my fellow ambulance colleagues in the ambulance service.
“Outdoor pursuits have been a passion of mine for the last 20 years and I’m really excited to take on this adventure.
“My only slight worry is how I’ll handle the altitude challenges, as it’s almost impossible to prepare for, but I’m not letting it stop me.”
Before joining the ambulance service, Jane spent 25 years as a commercial shepherd then became an outdoor pursuits leader, where she also was a volunteer for Cleveland Mountain Rescue. It was during this time she developed a love of emergency care; she has served as a paramedic for 11 years, working in the Carlin How region.
Jane said: “The work TASC do is fantastic, and it’s so beneficial for ambulance staff to have that extra helping hand if they need support for their mental health, physical rehabilitation for financial wellbeing. However, as a charity,
TASC can only continue being here for us if they receive our support, so I’m doing my bit to help the charity so that they can continue helping my colleagues.”
So far, Jane has raised over £4,500 for the Ambulance Staff Charity, which could help them pay for 150 physiotherapy sessions for ambulance staff injured in the line of duty. She is raising funds via her JustGiving page.
Karl Demian, The Ambulance Staff Charity chief executive, said: “We’re very grateful Jane has chosen to fundraise for TASC to help her colleagues. Demand for services is growing rapidly, and we’re seeing a 400% increase in people contacting us when compared to 2017/18. Ambulance staff have one of the most stressful jobs in the UK and the long-term impacts of Coronavirus are making their job that much harder.”