Two directors at North Wales’ largest law firm have raised vital funds for charity after successfully climbing North Africa’s highest peak.
Ron Davison, Managing Director of Gamlins Law, and fellow director Dafydd Roberts scaled Mount Toubkal in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains in aid of the firm’s nominated charity partner St Kentigern Hospice.
Combined with Ron’s running of the London Marathon in April, it means the pair have now raised almost £2,000 for St Asaph-based St Kentigern.
Ron and Dafydd were part of a 10-strong group that took on the climb to the 4,167m (13,671 ft) peak. Last year, they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania raising more than £3,500 for Prostate Cancer UK and LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal sector.
Dafydd said: “The whole trip was a great experience from spending time with the local Berber community through to the final ascent itself which saw us reach the summit an hour or so after sunrise.
“We encountered lots of different weather during the trip from really warm to ice and snow as we approached the summit to torrential rain and hailstones when we were coming down the mountain. Coping with the high altitude also provided a challenge.
“Experiencing life with the Berber community, with their villages set in the mountainside, was also something we won’t forget, including an evening eating with our guide’s family in their home.
“It was also humbling to see how the communities are continuing to rebuild after a devastating earthquake caused so much destruction a couple of years ago.
“Either side of the climb, we were fortunate to spend time in Marrakesh including a trip into the Sahara Desert. On our final night we even bumped into the chef Tom Kerridge who was in Marrakesh on holiday!”
Dafydd added: “We are delighted to raise further vital funds towards the work of St Kentigern Hospice. The team at the hospice made a video for us wishing us good luck and that certainly helped to spur us on.
“We’ve got further climbs planned in the UK for later this year and are already plotting another trip abroad, possibly to the Alps or Himalayas next year.”
St Kentigern celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
The hospice provides specialist palliative and end of life care to patients with life limiting illness, and support to their families across its catchment area of Denbighshire, West Flintshire, and East Conwy. Clinical services are delivered free of charge to patients and their families.
The hospice, which includes a 12-bed inpatient unit, employs 95 staff, supported by a large team of volunteers. It costs over £4.4million a year to run.
