Mount Kenya Climb

Laurence Biggs, Vicar at St Giles Church in Codicote and his wife Alison, have raised over £3000, for Mercy Ships, by successfully reaching the summit of Mount Kenya at 17,057ft, on September 17th 2009.

Climbing Mount Kenya was an opportunity for keen adventures’ Laurence and Alison to both support Mercy Ships, and celebrate their Silver Wedding Anniversary in a truly memorial way.

Alison said: “This was a celebration with a difference.  We have been so generously supported by our church community, friends and family.  Laurence and I have long been supporters of Mercy Ships, it is an amazing organisation making a real difference in the lives of some of the poorest people in the world.  Cleft lip and palate operations, removal of huge facial tumours are just some of the life changing surgeries carried out by volunteers of Mercy Ships”.

Mercy Ships operates the world’s largest charity hospital ship, The Africa Mercy,  delivering free health care to the forgotten poor, and it was 16 years ago that the association began when Laurence visited their former hospital ship, the Anastasis in the port of Avonmouth.  In 2004 Laurence had a sabbatical and chose to spend some of it with Mercy Ships, volunteering in Sierra Leone. 

Undertaking their climbing expedition, Laurence and Alison travelled for days, strenuously scaling Mount Kenya and resisting the difficulties caused by the high altitude.  On the 17th September after several challenging days they finally reached the summit successfully.

Laurence said: “It has been an amazing experience both challenging but very rewarding and something which we will remember for the rest of our lives.  This was a wonderful way to celebrate our 25 years of marriage and the fact that we raised over £3,000 for Mercy Ships was fantastic”.

Judy Polkinhorn, Executive Director of Mercy Ships UK, said: “We are thrilled to receive this fantastic donation which will be used towards the running of the ship and contribute to the life saving surgeries that the volunteers onboard the Africa Mercy perform every day.

“We would like to congratulate Laurence and Alison on an astonishing achievement of climbing Mount Kenya and their Silver Wedding Anniversary, but we would also like to thank them for their donation to Mercy Ships, without kind donations such as these Mercy Ships would simply cease to exist.”

To sponsor Laurence and Alison for the work of Mercy Ships, please visit
http://www.justgiving.com/Laurence-Biggs/