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People have come up with many inventive ways to keep themselves busy and productive during this Covid year, including two Coast families who did a virtual climb of Mt Everest.
Stanmore Bay Primary School students Ella and Jacob Owen, aged 11 and 8, and Tui and Lily Ladbrooke-Bannister, aged 10 and 8, along with their parents, walked a combined total of 8858 metres, the height of the world’s highest mountain.
In the process, they raised around $1500 on a JustGiving page, which will be sent to the Nestling Trust, in Nepal, to buy much-needed supplies to help fight Covid-19.
The trust is run by a relative, who lives in England, so was a natural choice for the team of walkers.
“The money will be used to buy vital supplies such as hand sanitiser, soap, medical equipment and emergency food,” Ella wrote in the school newsletter.
“My Great Aunty Sue has devoted her retirement to setting up five health posts, as well as a home for orphans or children who don’t have a home to live in.
“Thousands of Nepalese workers have lost their jobs and are returning to their villages from India, China and other surrounding countries where a lot of people have Covid-19. I am very proud of my aunty who has been doing this sort of thing for years now, but Covid-19 has made everything worse there.”
To achieve the 8858-metre target, the families climbed Rangitoto, Mount Eden, Mount Victoria, One Tree Hill, the steps at Duncansby Road and the hill at Wenderholm a number of times.
For more information about the Nestling Trust, visit nestlingtrust.co.uk
