A group of abuse survivors have raised £48,106 for child protection charity the NSPCC by scaling Mount Everest.
Giles Moffatt (51), who suffered abuse as a young boy at Edinburgh Academy, brought together the 11-strong group of men and women, many of them also child abuse survivors, to form ‘Team Uprising’ and travel to Nepal to trek at ultra-high altitude in the Himalayas.
The wider group reached Everest Base Camp on April 12 and Giles, his climbing companion Andrew Leslie and three guides continued further up the mountain in a bid to reach the summit by the end of May.
Mid expedition Giles became unwell with High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), which is when fluid collects in the lungs and if left untreated can be fatal.
Following treatment, he returned to the mountain for three more weeks and made a further attempt to get up the notorious Khumbu Icefall, the route to the higher camps. Struck by a different illness a second time, he was forced to turn back.
Despite not reaching the summit, Giles has achieved what he set out to do – raising awareness of the impact of child abuse and bringing in much needed funds for the NSPCC to help keep children safe.
Giles, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, said: “A year ago, the members of Team Uprising were strangers, now we are friends for life.
“Eleven of us made it to base camp and one of us made it to the summit with support from our Sherpa guides. Most importantly, everyone made it back safely. Out of evil, much good has come.”
Andrew (37) made it to the summit of Everest on May 21, with three Sherpa guides and colleagues – PK Sherpa, Mingma Sherpa, and Sonam Sherpa. Andy, who grew up in Helensburgh but now lives in Portland, Oregon, said he was thrilled to complete his lifelong ambition of getting to the top of Everest.
He said: “It was really special to climb with Giles and this group of survivors. We were all brought together by a passion for mountains and the transformation they are capable of creating, but there was a much deeper purpose to this expedition.
“Many men in the group had a shared traumatic experience in childhood, so our climb aimed to raise awareness of the impact of this kind of abuse. With everyone reaching Base Camp and some of us going on to climb Everest, we took a terrible childhood experience and turned it into something really positive which we hope will help prevent abuse happening to children.
“The money raised for the NSPCC will be used to help keep children safe.
“This journey pushed me to my physical and mental limits more than I ever thought possible, and the perspectives gained together with this group will last a lifetime. It’s a journey that has left me changed for the better.”
The funds raised by ‘Team Uprising’ will go towards supporting NSPCC services. These include Childline, the charity’s free counselling service for children, the adult Helpline for reporting concerns about a child and the charity’s educational programmes, such as Talk PANTS and Speak Out Stay Safe, which aim to help prevent child abuse and neglect.
Other members of the group included: Neil Russell, Neil MacDonald, Frazer Macdonald, Graeme Sneddon, Adrian Blakemore, Niall Mackinlay, and friends and family Cat Bolten, Rachel Leslie, Andrea Christensen, Jacob Christensen.
They were supported by OONI Pizza Ovens, Tiso, Thermos, Tunnocks, The Altitude Centre in London, Lindores Abbey Distillery and Taking the Pea snacks.
Young people looking for support can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday.
Any adult concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk. But should call the police on 999 straight away if they think a child is in immediate danger.
To donate, visit:
G Moffatt is fundraising for NSPCC (justgiving.com)
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