At the end of July, Rick Freeman from Lincoln took on a truly massive challenge in support of St Barnabas Hospice – reaching the summit of Matterhorn in the Alps.
The Matterhorn’s summit is about 15,000 feet and is one of the tallest peaks in the Alps, as well as one of the deadliest climbs in the world. This trek is extremely perilous, with around 12 people each year dying attempting to climb the mountain.
The famous mountain is near-symmetrical and is also featured on the packaging of Toblerone chocolate. The trek took two days to complete, after three days acclimatisation and training, and was an incredible challenge.
Rick is a PE teacher for a secondary school in Sleaford and started training for the trek last year. Through JustGiving he fundraised £2,560 in support of St Barnabas Hospice, and managed to reach the summit unscathed.
Rick says: “One of my aims was to raise funds for St Barnabas Hospice, who support many families within Lincolnshire. The care and support they offer needs to be maintained at this globally difficult time.
“I aim to promote self-belief, a strong positive mindset and a can-do attitude through my work in schools to encourage students to be the best people they can be. I hope by taking on this challenge, I can help further inspire them!
“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for their donations and for supporting the challenge.”
