Tag: Team Uprising

Child abuse survivors raise almost £50,000 for NSPCC by climbing world’s highest mountain

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)

Edinburgh Academy abuse survivors set to scale world’s highest mountain to help prevent abuse

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves” – Edmund Hillary

An inspirational group of child abuse survivors, supported by friends and family, are raising awareness and funds for child protection charity the NSPCC by climbing Mount Everest.

Giles Moffatt (51), a survivor of physical abuse as a young boy at boarding school, is one of 12 men and women in ‘Team Uprising’ who have travelled to Nepal to trek 150km at ultra-high altitude on the world’s highest mountain.

Giles spoke about the cruel and abusive behaviour he experienced while he was a pupil at Edinburgh Academy when he gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh last year.

He also recently gave evidence during an ‘examination of facts’ at Edinburgh Sheriff Court involving former Edinburgh Academy teacher John Brownlee, when the Sheriff ruled that Brownlee had committed a number of violent assaults against children at the school.

Giles now wants to turn his negative childhood experiences into something positive by raising money for the NSPCC and awareness of the impact of abuse.

In preparation for the inquiry Giles set up a survivors’ group which now has over 70 members, and when he said he would like to climb Everest to raise money for the NSPCC, several members wanted to join him.

The team will trek over nine days to Everest Base Camp together, and then Giles will continue with fellow Edinburgh Academy abuse survivors Neil MacDonald and Neil Russell and their good friends and supporters, Andy Leslie and Mitch Smith, to undertake an ice climb to the 6,119-metre summit of Lobuche.

Giles and Andy will carry on even higher through the heart of the Himalayas with legendary mountaineer and guide, Ang Tshering Lama, who has climbed Everest five times, with the aim of reaching the summit of Everest by the end of May.

On the expedition they will have to contend with altitude sickness, the treacherous Khumbu icefall and on summit day what is referred to as the mountain’s ‘Death Zone’ where there is not enough oxygen to survive, and they will carry specialist equipment to assist them.

The funds they raise 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.

Giles Moffatt

Giles, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, said: “Childhood abuse causes mental health problems, addictions, self-harm, low self-worth, anxiety, relationship and work problems throughout life. 

“We want to use our own negative childhood experiences to help other children who have been abused, and those who may be at risk, and raise awareness of the wide-ranging and long-lasting impact of childhood abuse.

“This trip is part climbing, part fundraising, part therapy.

“We can’t change our past, but we can do something to prevent other children from experiencing the horrors that we endured. We want a zero-tolerance of any form of abuse of children and hope to inspire others to have the courage to speak up and seek support.”

Another member of Team Uprising, Neil Russell (67), also gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh last year about his experience of physical, sexual and emotional abuse when he was a pupil at Edinburgh Academy.

The main perpetrator of Neil’s abuse was Hamish Dawson, who died in 2009. At the inquiry Dawson was accused of multiple instances of emotional and physical abuse on young boys at the school, some of which Neil experienced and witnessed.

Neil, who lives in Bedfordshire but plans to move to Perthshire this year, said: “Dawson would beat all the boys if something happened, and no one confessed. The incidents of abuse by Dawson have haunted me and tormented my mind throughout my life.

“The habitual and extreme violence have stayed with me. It took me two years of psychotherapy before I was even able to say his name.”

Neil has struggled with the impact of the abuse throughout his adult life. It has caused him difficulties with his mental health, including severe depression and anxiety, emotional and physical breakdowns and he has attempted suicide. He has also struggled to maintain relationships, including previous marriages, because he finds it hard to trust people.

‘Team Uprising’ also includes former pupils Frazer Macdonald, Graeme Sneddon, Adrian Blakemore, Niall Mackinlay, and friends and family Cat Bolten, Rachel Leslie, Andrea Christensen, Jacob Christensen.

They would like to thank Ooni Pizza Ovens, Tiso and Thermos, the Altitude Centre in London, Lindores Abbey Distillery and ‘Taking the Pea’ snacks for their financial support.

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)