Richard Turk, corporate account manager for Renault in the north west, is climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to help raise money for the National Victims' Association.

 

Turk is aiming to reach the summit in less than 10 days and has also completed the Three Peaks Challenge and the Welsh 3,000, where climbers complete 15 mountains in 24 hours.

He aims to raise £2,000 for the National Victims’ Association (formerly known as the North of England Victims’ Association (NEVA) which is the only frontline service for victims of murder.

Turk is the charity’s main fundraiser and his wife Cheryl is a senior counsellor providing support for families who have gone through the experience of losing a loved one through murder or manslaughter.

The summit reaches 5,895m and Turk intends to take a route known as the Western Breach, a route which was closed due to the number of fatalities. It reopened 18 months ago and necessitates more experience and technical expertise.

Turk said: “So far training includes weekday evenings and weekends running and walking. I've been through most of North Wales and the Lake District, snatched some running in Scotland and cycling, and I will be adding in extra training every week for the final month.

“This is my first attempt at Kilimanjaro – it’s the first of the “seven summits”, and I aim to have a crack at all seven.

“Everyone I work with at Renault has been extremely supportive and very generous in their sponsorship donations so I would like to say a big thank you to all supporters for sponsoring me in this very worthwhile cause.”