Emily’s star trek up Snowdon for aunt
AWARD-winning actress Emily Burnett is set to achieve another peak in her career – alongside her beloved aunt.
Emily, star of TV’s Hollyoaks and The Dumping Ground, is taking on one of Britain’s highest mountains in her new role as ambassador for learning disability charity Mencap.
The BAFTA award winner has persuaded fellow stars to join the team climbing Mount Snowdon in north Wales to raise money and challenge stigmas about what people with a learning disability can and can’t do.
But one person she is particularly looking forward to reaching the summit with is her Aunt Teresa.
The Push To The Peak challenge came about after Emily, whose aunt has a learning disability and has always wanted to climb the mountain, approached Mencap for support.
Emily said: “My aunt is turning 60 next year, and after being told as a little girl she wouldn’t live that long, we decided we needed to do something major to celebrate.
“She’s had a profound impact on my life – I call her my sunshine – and I can’t wait to highlight some of the societal struggles but also to share the many joys, the beauty and the talent that comes with having a learning disability or having someone with a learning disability in your life.
“As well as becoming an ambassador for Mencap, which I’m delighted about, I’m so excited about taking on this challenge with my friends and colleagues, other people with a living disability but most importantly with my aunt.”
The trek take places on August 28 and
■ A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life.
■ Learning disability is NOT a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia.
■ Very often the term “learning
Emily has roped in pals including James Sutton, from Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, and Kia Pegg, who plays Jody Jackson from BBC children’s drama The Dumping Ground. Alongside them will be a group of people, all with a learning disability, who have decided to take on the challenge and show society what they’re capable of.
The 30 participants will be taking the Llanberis track up and down the mountain and have all pledged to raise at least £1,100 each to help people with a learning disability live a happy and healthy life.
The Llanberis track is the most accessible for all abilities, although the next seven months will see participants undertake a challenging training programme.
Emily’s Aunt Teresa said: “It will be good to do this walk. We first talked about it last year, me and Emily. And I said ‘We’ll do it!’ I wanted to raise money for Mencap as I have been going to a swimming club that is supported by them for the last 32 years! difficulty” is wrongly used interchangeably with “learning disability”.
■ People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people.
■ The level of support needed is different with the every individual.
“I’m not the fastest swimmer in the world but I can keep going and going. I hope my determination will help me with the Push To The Peak challenge.”
Mencap fundraising director Mary O’Hagan said: “I’m continuously blown away by what people with a learning disability can achieve and I’m delighted that here at Mencap we’re launching this hiking challenge.
“People with a learning disability climb metaphorical mountains every day and so to have them climbing Snowdon and raising money for Mencap at the same time is inspirational.”
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