'˜Inspirational' student hopes to make big difference by climbing Mount Kenya

Ricky Adams, 20, of Bishop Cuthbert, is set to climb Mount Kenya, which is 5,199m high, in June.

He will be doing the challenge with the charity African Adventures, in doing so raising money to help provide humanitarian and financial support to a number of educational projects and schools in Africa.

Ricky will pay £2,650 to take part, £755 of which is going directly to the charity.

To help him raise the funds, he will be taking part in a headshave fundraiser at Shapers Salon, in Church Street, Hartlepool, on March 12.

The Teesside University student, who is studying for a foundation degree in travel and tourism, is determined to make the most of his ‘massive opportunity’ in Kenya.

He said: “I’m absolutely buzzing about it, and although it’s still quite a while away, I can’t wait.

“To do this event and get to the end will fill me with a lot of pride.It’s a fantasic opportunity for me to gain a great experience and also raise money for a good cause at the same time.

“When the chance to do it came up, it was something I felt I had to do.”

Ricky, of Ouzel Close, Bishop Cuthbert, travelled to Ghana with African Adventures in 2013, and was part of a group which built homes and worked with communities.

That gave him a taste for volunteering, and he has now set about preparing for his first mountain climb, which will take about five to six days and involved walking for between 12km and 15km a day.

Foundation degree lecturer Bev Boden, of Teesside University, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for Ricky, and I know he will embrace the culture, the people and the entire experience.

“He is an inspiration and I am confident he will raise lots of cash for this good cause.

“Ricky has always shown a keen interest in fundraising and is not shy of hard work.

“I wish Ricky all the very best and I know he will work hard to ensure lots of awareness is raised for this amazing cause.”

Ricky added: “I kept in touch with African Adventures after the last trip I went on with them.

“That was a fantastic experience, and I’ve really wanted to get involved in something else since then.

“In Ghana, I put some music on my phone when I was working with some of the children there, and I’ve never seen kids so excited in my life.

“When you experience something like that and see what things are like in other cultures, it makes a massive difference to your own life.

“I haven’t really done mountain climbing before, so this one is going to be something different for me.

“I’ve renewed my gym membership, and that’s as far as it has gone at the moment. My personal trainer will probably know better than me how that’s going!

“I think I’ll take a few trips to Roseberry Topping to do a bit of preparation.”