A Swindon woman has raised more than £4,000 after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Having always wanted to climb the mountain, Emma Skinner took on the challenge to raise funds for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

She reached the summit in the early hours of Friday, October 10 after a six day trek.

Her journey began at the Lemosho Gate and took her through rainforests, deserts, rocky ground, and moorland to the Shira Camp, where some of the group started to experience signs of altitude sickness.

This can be a very serious condition, and can determine whether guides allow hikers to continue or not.

Ms Skinner continued with the trek despite the worsening altitude sickness, tough terrain, and temperatures dropping to -15 degrees centigrade, covering 18,000 metres over the following four days.

She finally reached the summit after hiking through the night, just in time to witness the sunrise on the African horizon.

She said: "Climbing Kilimanjaro has been a tough and humbling experience.

"I feel extremely privileged to have been welcomed into such a wonderful community in Tanzania.

"I have been challenged mentally and physically and I experienced so many emotions during the trek - overwhelmingly, I am proud of the achievement.

"I am incredibly grateful for all of the support I have received - I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has donated so generously."

Ms Skinner, who is a partner at accountancy firm Haines Watts Swindon, has raised £4,265 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance so far, more than half of her £8,000 target, and her fundraising page will stay open until October 25.

The charity's operational costs are upwards of £12,000 per day, covering the expenses of its helicopter, critical care cars, crew, supplies, and ongoing maintenance.

It is through the support of local businesses and fundraising that these costs are met, as it does not receive any funding from government or grants.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance's fundraising manager, Fraser Normington, said: "We are always taken aback by the lengths some people will go to raise funds for their local air ambulance charity and Emma’s challenge is certainly one of the hardest around.

"Everyone at the charity would like to congratulate Emma on successfully scaling Mount Kilimanjaro and we cannot thank her enough for undertaking the challenge to support Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s lifesaving service, with the backing of the team at Haines Watts."

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