Llanrwst fundraiser reaches the top of Kilimanjaro

Oct 29 2009 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

Sel Berry

THERE were double celebrations for a Llanrwst fundraiser after battling freezing temperatures and altitude sickness to scale the top of Africa’s highest mountain.

Sel Berry, who works at Betws-y-Coed post office, has never been conventional – so when he decided to celebrate his 60th birthday at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which at 19,340ft is the highest mountain in Africa, no-one who knew him was surprised!

But the main reason for the jaunt was to help raise money for three local charities, so the intrepid walker roped in a few of his friends to help.

The group of eight friends, who regularly take to the hills of North Wales, started out on their mammoth Kilimanjaro trek on October 9.

“Well I got to celebrate my birthday at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on October 16 and I felt on top of the world,” said an elated Sel.

“I was very emotional at the top because it had taken us several long days of walking to get there and it was for all charity.”

Sel’s friends, including Lisa Hampson from Llanrwst, made sure Sel celebrated in style on his big day.

“We had to trek at night with head torches, leaving the camp at midnight so we could get to the summit by 7am for the spectacular sunrise,” explained Lisa.

She added how they had taken birthday wishes from family and friends for Sel to open on the peak.

“We took along some birthday cards from Sel’s family so it was a very emotional experience for all of us,” she said.

The group only spent about 20 minutes at the summit as it had taken them over eight hours to get there, was -16C, and they had an eight-hour trek back to camp.

“The last bit towards the summit was the hardest,” added Lisa.

“It was very steep and we were all suffering from the effects of altitude sickness but it was worth it.”

Sel added: “It was an amazing experience, the guides were great and I even got to eat chicken and chips at 15,000 feet!”

Sel and his friends – Lisa Hampson, Adrian Jones, Tony Giddings, Haf Parry, Mared Pari, Shaun Williams and Rodney Owen – have so far managed to raise over £6,000 in sponsorship money which will now be split between Clic Sargent, T Gobaith and the Llanrwst Sports Association.