Paramedic climbing Kilimanjaro for Ambulance Staff Charity

Jane Sinclair from the North East Ambulance Service will be taking on the gruelling climb up Africa’s highest peak later this year to raise money for an ambulance charity.

In September Jane will climb the peak of Kilimanjaro to raise funds for The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC), the national charity dedicated to caring for the wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance community.

On September 15 she will leave the Kilimanjaro basecamp and climb the 6km to the summit of the mountain over seven days.

At 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

Read more: Revealed: North East's most expensive places to buy a home

Jane, who joined the ambulance service 11 years ago, 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 colleagues in the ambulance service.

Jane Sinclair

“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.”

“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 it 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.”

In 2018 Jane underwent double knee replacement surgery. Since then, she has been working hard to re-build her fitness and strength by taking on increasing bigger and more difficult walking challenges such as all of Hadrian’s Wall (84 miles), half of Offa’s Dyke Path along the Welsh border (90 miles so far), Snowdon, and Yorkshire 3 Peaks.

So far, Jane has raised over £4,500 for the charity, which could help pay for 150 physiotherapy sessions for ambulance staff injured in the line of duty.

Prior to joining the ambulance service, she spent 25 years as a commercial shepherd before becoming an outdoor pursuits leader, where she also became a volunteer for Cleveland Mountain Rescue.

Read more: North Durham Academy holds fun-fun for CRPS charity

Launched in 2015, The Ambulance Staff Charity is the national charity dedicated to caring for the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance community including serving and retired staff, their family members, ambulance service volunteers and paramedic science students.

Karl Demian, TASC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’re very grateful that Jane has chosen to fundraise for TASC to help her colleagues.

“Demand for TASC’s services is growing rapidly, and we’re seeing a 400 per cent 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.

“Right now, ambulance staff need TASC more than ever, and we need the support of the general public to ensure we can continue being an independent source of support for the UK’s ambulance community in their time of need.”

--

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054