Abuse survivors in Everest challenge

ABUSE survivors who attended the same school as broadcaster Nicky Campbell are set to climb Everest in a bid to raise money for charity.

Former pupils of Edinburgh Academy are to take on the challenge of scaling the world’s highest mountain in aid of child protection charity the NSPCC.

Giles Moffatt, 51, one of those taking part in the trip, described it as being “part climbing, part fundraising, part therapy”.

It comes after he gave evidence in a special “examination of facts” hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, which resulted in the court ruling former Edinburgh Academy teacher John Brownlee inflicted “cruel and unnatural acts” on pupils at the school.

Mr Moffatt, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, is one of 12 members of Team Uprising who will trek 150 kilometres at ultra- high altitude.

He and fellow Edinburgh Academy abuse survivors Neil MacDonald and Neil Russell, along with friends and supporters Andy Leslie and Mitch Smith, then plan to undertake an ice climb to the 6119m summit of Lobuche, near the Everest base camp.

Mr Moffatt and Mr Leslie will carry on from there through the Himalayas, with the help of mountaineer and guide Ang Tshering Lama – who has climbed Everest five times – with the aim of reaching the mountain’s summit by the end of May.

Mr Moffatt said he and other survivors “want to use our own negative childhood experiences to help other children who have been abused, and those who may be at risk, and raise awareness of the wide- ranging and longlasting impact of childhood abuse”.

The cash they raise will go towards supporting NSPCC’s work, which includes providing free counselling for children, an adult helpline for reporting concerns, and educational programmes aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect.

Mr Moffatt said: “Childhood abuse causes mental health problems, addictions, selfharm, low self- worth, anxiety, relationship and work problems throughout life.”

“This trip is part climbing, part fundraising, part therapy.

“We can’t change our past, but we can do something to prevent other children from experiencing the horrors that we endured. We want a zerotolerance of any form of abuse of children.”

Mr Russell gave evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry last year about his experiences of abuse at Edinburgh Academy, which he described as a “violent place”.

The 67- year- old, who lives in Bedfordshire but plans to move to Perthshire this year, said incidents of abuse at the school “have haunted me and tormented my mind throughout my life”.

Donations to Team Uprising can be made at https:// www. justgiving. com/ team/ uprising.