A mother has signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the hospice her sister died in after she thought the 19,340 foot mountain was in Wales.
Nikki Barnett assumed Africa’s tallest summit was in Wales because she could not understand the name, but has agreed to raise money for the Myton Hospice in Coventry, where her sister Jill died from breast cancer.
The 51-year-old originally thought she would be climbing Snowdon, which is 15,780 foot smaller than Kilimanjaro, and only realised her error when a neighbour pointed out she had agreed to climb a summit at least 4,000 miles away.
Nikki Barnett has signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro after initially thinking the mountain was in Wales
But Ms Barnett and her daughter Leanne Cope, 24, are determined to tackle Africa’s tallest mountain in honour of their Ms Barnett’s sister Jill, who herself climbed Kilimanjaro as part of her training for West Midlands Police.
Ms Barnett, who works as an energy consultant, said: ‘A fundraising email came through with a picture of a mountain and advertised as an adventure of a lifetime.
‘I thought “Jill would have loved that” so I signed right up. Then my daughter said that she fancied it as well, so we decided to do it together.
‘I just thought it was a mountain. It had Kilimanjaro underneath and I could not pronounce it.
Nikki Barnett and her daughter Leanne Cope have been training for their climb (left) and hope to raise money in for the Myton Hospice in Coventry
Ms Barnett and her daughter will attempt to tackle Kilimanjaro, which is a staggering 15,779 foot smaller than Snowdon in Wales and is at least 4,000 miles away
‘I’m not being funny, but I’ve always struggled with the pronunciation of names in Wales, so I thought that’s where it was.’
She added: ‘I did some research and found out it is the world’s tallest freestanding mountain.
‘But in the end we thought it was fine. It’s just a bit more of an adventure. But we will have Jill with is telling us we can do it.’
The mother and daughter duo have put themselves through a grueling training regime ahead of their six-day hike up and down Kilimanjaro – even completing a three peaks challenge ahead of flying out to Tanzania on September 23.
Ms Barnett said that she ‘hated ever minute’ of their three peaks challenge but is ‘confident the actual trip will go better’.
She added: ‘My daughter and my sister will be a real source of strength when I’m taking on the challenge. The idea of the it is getting more surreal the closer it gets.
Ms Barnett (left) is hoping to raise £10,000 for the hospice where her sister Jill (right) passed away
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa is a staggering
‘I freaked out a little bit when I got an email saying there would be a doctor going with us, but it can be quite dangerous. Altitude sickness could be a major issue.’
Ms Barnett’s sister Jill spent her entire career serving the West Midlands Police and was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2013. After a long month battle with the disease, she passed away on December 11 2014, aged 41.
So far, Ms Barnett and her daughter have raised £9,000 but hope to collect £10,000 by the time they return from Africa. The pair are self-funding the trip, with all the money raised going straight to the hospice.
The 51-year-old said: ‘My sister was an inspiration. She was a real family lady and she never complained about anything.
‘She was always positive and never gave up on anything. She took her sergeant’s exams four times until she passed.
Ms Barnett has raised £9,000 but hopes to raise £10,000 by the time she returns from the climb later this month. Jill (right) died in December 2014 after a 22 month battle with cancer
‘The diagnosis hit us all really hard, and it was a tough time when she died. We lost another sister Julie, only a couple of months later. But Jill’s memory helps us to stay positive.
‘She was so well cared for by Myton’s. I want to do this trip to break the stigma around hospices. A lot of people think like I did, that you just go there at the end of your life.
‘But they do so much more for you. They were wonderful, and if I can give something back and change just one other person’s life then that would be fantastic.’