While many are cursing the recent cold snap, two intrepid adventurers are treating it as an opportunity to prepare for the journey of their lives.
Ann-Marie Hudson and Glynn Davis, who work at Leamington law firm Wright Hassall, are using the cold weather as an early chance to acclimatise to conditions they will face for a planned 18-day ascent of the world’s highest mountain – Mount Everest.
The pair began training for the trip on Boxing Day and will undertake the 18,000ft climb through Everest Base Camp to the summit of Kala Patther in October with the hope of raising over £5,000 for charity Cancer Research UK.
The journey will be an emotional one for Ann-Marie who is undertaking it in honour of her father who passed away from prostate cancer almost exactly 15 years before the trip is due to begin.
Senior legal secretary, Ann-Marie, 30, said: “Firstly we are doing this to raise money for a very worthy cause, but it is also going to be a huge challenge and a fantastic adventure.
“We have started training and recently returned from a week in the Isle of Skye, in Scotland where we were training in freezing temperatures.
“While we were there I read a book about Sir Edmund Hillary and the first ascent of Everest and that made the whole thing seem a little bit more real and exciting.”
Additional training sessions are planned over the course of the year for the duo with trips to Snowdon and the Swiss Alps pencilled in.
The journey will also be the realisation of a life-long dream for 38-year-old Glynn. The senior solutions and software executive at Wright Hassall is a keen outdoor adventurer.
He said: “I love mountains and have spent many a summer walking in places like the Alps.
“Everest is like the Mecca of the mountain world, to go there will be fantastic and I am really looking forward to the challenge.”
The pair has already pledged £1,000 of their own money to fund the trip and anyone who wishes to support their journey can make a donation by visiting www.justgiving.com/Excellent-Adventure.
Nick Abell, senior partner at Wright Hassall, said: “The staff and all the partners at Wright Hassall are delighted to be supporting Glynn and Ann-Marie in this exciting venture and wish them every success.”
