Newtownabbey teacher to take on Kilimanjaro for mental health charity

Colette Deery, who is Head of Community at Edmund Rice College, will be taking on the gruelling 5,895m challenge in Tanzania in July to raise funds for the community-based mental health charity.

Speaking to the Newtownabbey Times, Colette explained what inspired her to take on the challenge and how the charity has supported pupils at the Hightown Road school.

She said: “I’ve participated in charity fundraising endeavours over the past number of years in my role as Head of Community at ERC, but nothing to this scale and level of challenge.

“I was invited to represent ERC by ALPS fundraising coordinator, Frank Diamond in recognition of the community work ERC has done throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in support of mental health and wellbeing in our school, local and wider communities.

“I was blown away when Frank invited me on the team to represent my school. I’ve actually talked about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with a close friend for years, so my mind was made up as soon as he asked me. It’s a once in a lifetime type of opportunity and one I could never pass on.

“I know this organisation very well through my role as Head of Community at Edmund Rice College and know the extreme benefits that they provide to our community. Charities such as this are vital at a time when capacity and availability of mental health services in Northern Ireland is under extreme pressure.

“I have direct experience of this in my role of Head of Learning Support at ERC. Many of the most vulnerable young people in our care are on long waiting lists for assessment, before therapeutic support can even begin.

“We rely on charities such as ALPS to step in and provide the immediate care and mental health support that is needed more and more by our young people. ALPS can offer both home and school based support. They were great at providing counselling services during the Covid pandemic and continue to do so in its aftermath. They rely solely on voluntary contributions to provide their services, and as a school that has mental health and wellbeing at very core of its ethos, Edmund Rice College are fully committed to raise as much as we can as a school community as part of our main fundraising endeavour this year.”

Colette has been conducting a strenuous training regime in the months leading up to her charity effort in East Africa.

This weekend, as part of her training and in a bid to raise both funds and awareness, the kindhearted teacher will be competing with four colleagues in the Belfast City Marathon relay race on May 1.

Commenting on her training routine, she stated: “The training has been intense over the last six months. A mixture of strength and conditioning training and cardio; running and spin classes, but in the last two months we have added in weekly hikes to get the body used to climbing.

“We have hiked together as a team in Glendalough and more recently in the Mournes where we added weighted rucksacks to the training. A few of the team also headed off to Kerry over Easter where we hiked Mount Brandon on Good Friday.

“The biggest training challenge to date was on Easter Monday when we climbed seven peaks of MacGillycuddy’s Reeks as part of the Coomloughra Horseshoe ridge trail.

“It took us just over seven hours and was really good training for Kilimanjaro. It also gave us the opportunity to climb three of Ireland’s highest mountains: Carrauntoohil (1,040m); Beenkeragh (1,008m) and Caher (1,001m). Next up we are meeting as a team again in Glendalough and the Mournes, followed by some altitude acclimatisation training in University of Ulster a few weeks before we set off, organised by one of the team.

“Adjusting to the extreme altitude and reduction of oxygen levels will be the biggest challenge (Mount Kilimanjaro stands at 5, 895m) – so this will be a really important part of our training.

“I will be taking part in the marathon with four of my colleagues who have stepped up to support me on this fundraising challenge. I’ve been given the final leg of the relay so I get to steal all the glory crossing the finish line.

“It’s a leg I’ve never run before so I’m really looking forward to it. I would run quite often as part of my own cardio training, so I have kept this up alongside my Kilimanjaro training to prepare for the marathon on Sunday. The legs are definitely feeling a lot heavier on my runs these days!”

Colette has launched an online fundraising page to collect donations in support of ALPS.

Praising everyone who has backed her so far, she added: “I am the only member of staff climbing the mountain, but I do so on behalf of an entire school community of staff, students and parents/carers who will be working just as hard in the run up the challenge in support of the fundraising, and who are giving me the much needed support and encouragement as part of my preparation.

“I’ve had amazing support from my family and personal friends as well, some of whom are helping me to strength train in the gym and are organising a spinathon with me as one of my fundraising events. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far and who has and will be involved in the different fundraising events throughout the final term of school this year.

“This challenge is not something I could manage alone. I have been overwhelmed by the support and generosity of everyone and on behalf of the ALPS team, I’d like to offer my sincere gratitude. The money raised will allow ALPS to continue their vital work and it will go a long way in assisting the lives of many in our local and wider communities.”

At the time of publication over £1,000 has been raised for the worthy cause.

If you would like to donate, click here

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