Bolsover physio prepares for charity Himalayan trek

Sally Kennedy, 43, who works at Mansfield Community Hospital, will be trekking in the Annapurna region, a part of the remote Himalayan kingdom 5,000 metres above sea level.

She is currently hard at work training for her expedition and raising money for the charity, most recently at an event held at the Nepali Kathmandu restaurant in Clay Cross. She said: “I first went to Nepal in 1999 raising money for the Youth Hostel Association.

“On the trek we met a Nepali gentleman called Tilak who was using all his tips and spare time to support a children’s home in Kathmandu.

“Some of the people I met on that first trek set up a charity and they have supported a number of projects there ever since.

The charity, New Futures Nepal, has now been running for 10 years and, as well as the children’s home, supports day centres, mothers’ groups and works with street children to combat sexual trafficking.

As well as completing the trek, Sally will also be volunteering her physiotherapy skills at the children’s home and a day centre which cares for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Over the next few months, Sally will be doing the Three Peaks challenge in Yorkshire as well as hosting a garden party at her house where she will cooking for people and selling candles.

The trek, which is described as ‘moderate’ by the firm running it, is in one of the most beautiful parts of Nepal but Sally is not expecting many home comforts from the tea houses they will be staying at along the way.

“I’m hoping for flushing toilets but I think I might be disappointed,” she says.

n To donate to her fund visit www.justgiving.com/Sally-Kennedy3.