Moray woman to complete charity Kilimanjaro climb
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A MORAY woman who has lost six stone in a year is set to climb Africa's highest peak for a charity close to her heart.
Bridget Mungersdorf (49), who has lived in Elgin since 1999 after growing up in Amsterdam, is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, to raise funds for Hosanna House and Children's Pilgrimage Trust (HCPT). She is set to arrive at the dormant volcano's peak on the morning of her 50th birthday.
Bridget's son, Robbie, who is 17, has a cancerous brain tumour and, because of that, has trouble with his memory. Robbie has enjoyed several trips to the village of Lourdes in the south west of France, which is the most visited pilgrimage site in the Christian world.
The average cost of one child's visit to Lourdes through the Children's Pilgrimage Trust is £800, and Bridget's aim is to ensure a couple of other sick children can experience and enjoy the village, as Robbie has been able to do.
She said: "Lourdes is a place where children can forget about their handicap. Nobody judges each other, and they can forget about being ill.
"Robbie is privileged to have had the chance to go several times with this organisation. He's had such a benefit from it and it has given him strength to keep going in college.
READ MORE: Robbie Mungersdorf graduates after brain surgery.
"Thousands of kids come together and the whole village is taken over by sick children. The idea is to make these children happy, and I have seen a difference in Robbie when he comes back.
"He has made friends there, and that's a big thing for him. It's like a magical place, his second home and the best place in the world. Every child who goes through a lot of rubbish should be able to experience something like this.
"You have to set yourself a fundraising target and the cost for child to visit Lourdes is about £750 to £800. They don’t have to pay anything when they are there and there is no limit to the way they are spoiled. If I can manage to get two children there it would be amazing."
Bridget's climb starts on Friday, February 21, and she is set to reach the top of Kilimanjaro on March 1 – the day she turns 50. In a way, though, the mother of three has already overcome her biggest challenges.
Just a year ago, Bridget weighed 16 stone and admitted she "couldn't run for 30 seconds without being out of breath". Now, with the help of her children, she is active for four or five hours every day and has trimmed down to 10 stone.
And, with 55 donations so far, she has gathered more than £1500 for her charity.
The journey to the top of Kilimanjaro, and back down, will total nine days and nearly 100 kilometres – including a daunting 15 hour trek to the peak on the last night.
Bridget will leave her son Robbie in the capable hands of her friends and family – without whom, she added, this adventure wouldn't be possible.
To donate and support Bridget's journey click HERE.
MORE in Friday's Northern Scot.
