News & Headteacher Blogs

Mrs Jones, The Downs School’s new Student Manager for KS3 and school governor, has raised an incredible £6,000 to date after she and her brother climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last month.

Inspired by her brother who ran the London Marathon in 2017, Mrs Jones decided to set herself a personal challenge too, tackling the 5,895 metre tall mountain to raise funds for the British charity Action for Children.

“My brother and I were lucky enough to have to wonderful parents who taught us so many positive lessons in life,” she says. “Climbing for a charity which supports young people less fortunate seemed like a great idea. Unfortunately, we lost our Mum 21 years ago in an accident at home and so we were climbing in her memory as well.”

After a nine-day adventure in Tanzania, climbing through many different types of terrain, Mrs Jones made it to summit base camp, an amazing 4,600m above sea level, with her brother reaching the summit.

“I am so proud of how far I climbed,” she added. “I may not have made it to the summit but I was only beaten by my body giving up; not my mind. I had The Downs School in mind when I was climbing as I had so many positive life lessons reaffirmed on my journey and I knew they would serve me well in my new role as Student Manager.” 

 Mrs Jones has set herself a fundraising target of £10,000 which she looks set to surpass in the next couple of weeks. An incredible achievement.