Mountain mission inspired by ill sister

10:35am Thursday 31st August 2006

A FORMER Bewdley High School pupil is bidding to scale one of the world's tallest peaks to help a charity find a cure for an illness that has affected his sister's life.

Simon Winnall, whose 23-year-old sister, Nicola, suffers with ME, will begin his Mount Kilimanjaro mission with his friend, Ian Winstanley on Saturday.

It will take the pair five days to reach the 5,985 metre summit of the largest freestanding mountain in the world and another two days to get back down, which includes a 16-hour final day descent.

The 26-year-old, who now lives in Stourbridge, is hoping his efforts will raise more than £2,000 for ME Research UK, which is working to find a cure for the illness that has left Miss Winnall, of Bliss Gate Road, Callow Hill, bedridden and suffering bouts of paralysis.

Mr Winnall, who is hoping a niggling knee injury that has hampered his training will not put the Tanzanian trip in danger, said the idea of raising money was down to his little sister.

He explained: "Completing the climb is a challenge I wanted to take on. We have both paid for everything ourselves and it was Nicola who said we should try and raise some money.

"Only about 20 per cent of the people who attempt the climb actually finish it.

"The big factor is the altitude. There is no way you can know how that will affect you.

"It is such a shame for Nicola. I do not know how she has dealt with everything because she has lost the chance to do so many things in her life because of ME but has been so brave through it all."

Nicola and Simon's mother, Rosemary, spoke at the House of Commons earlier this summer before the Gibson Inquiry panel, which included Wyre Forest MP Dr Richard Taylor, put together to study aspects of ME.

Dr Neil Abbot, ME Research UK's director of operations, said: "We are very grateful to Simon and Ian for all their efforts.

"This is the biggest thing, in terms of effort, that anyone has ever done for us.

"What they are doing is truly marvellous. It will help raise a lot of money to find out more about an illness where biomedical research is very much needed."

Anyone wishing to sponsor Mr Winnall can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/winnall or by downloading a form at www.winnalldesign.com/kili