Intrepid Louth dad aims to conquer Kilimanjaro to help cancer sufferers

Brave Dan Hart, 31, aims to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania, which is Africa’s highest mountain and the tallest free-standing one in the world.

And he has already surpassed his initial fundraising target of £6,000 for the charity, Cancer Research UK, thanks to support from businesses, family and friends.

"Cancer is a catastrophe for the whole world,” said Dan, a father-of-two. “Everyone has been touched by it at some point.

"On a personal level, I lost both my grandparents, Irene and John Ford, who lived in Skegness, to cancer. It is a nasty disease, and I am proud to be supporting the fight against it.”

Dan has always been interested in mountaineering and has climbed many of the peaks in the UK.

But he admits he has tried “nothing on the scale of Kilimanjaro”, where the summit stands at 5,895 feet above sea level.

He has signed up to the challenge with the tour operator, Ultra Adventures, which supports various charities by arranging trips across the world for people to “achieve something incredible and raise funds for good causes”.

Dan’s nine-day expedition, which has been branded KiliDanjaro and will include four to five days of climbing, takes place in June.

He decided to take it on after being hit by what he describes as “a series of bad events” last summer.

"I lost my house and my job and I split up with my wife,” Dan recalled. “It was pretty disastrous and I needed something to focus on and pull me out of the slump.

"It was one of the lowest points of my life and so I wanted to do something to help others. Something to redirect me a bit.”

Dan, who now works as a digger driver for the Skegness-based Pell Plant Hire Ltd, has been overwhelmed by the fundraising and sponsorship support he has received, including via a JustGiving page he set up.

"This is an excellent cause and to reach £6,180 from 143 donations is quite an achievement for little old me,” he said. “I am over the moon.

"I would like to thank all my supporters, particularly six local companies who have provided sponsorship.”

Those companies are Blaze Competitions, Louth To Mouth, Valley And Peak, which is Dan’s go-to supplier for his expedition kit, S&C Construction Ltd, AB Fencing and Samuels Takeaway, which has bought him an expensive sleeping bag.

To help buy the other kit he will need, Dan has also pumped a lot of his own money into the venture.

And he is full of praise for his mum and her partner, Beverley and Rich Tooze, who own Yankees Burger Bar in Ingoldmells. They have created a special KiliDanjaro burger to raise money.

"A shout-out too to my friend, Eleanor Gaywood, who has given me a lot of help, including with designing a KiliDanjaro logo and a hoodie that has all the sponsor-companies’ names on,” he added.

"Hundreds of pounds has also been raised by the regulars at my local pub, Cobbles Bar, which might be holding a charity gig soon as well.”

Dan’s own fundraising events have included walks carrying a backpack weighing 20 kilos. One was from Legbourne to Lincoln, which took him 11and-a-half hours, while another comprised 23 laps of the football pitch at Legbourne Community Centre.

The icing on the cake, however, has been provided by his two children, 11-year-old Evie and seven-year-old Eddie, who have shown enormous pride in what their dad is undertaking.

"When I told Eddie I had hit my £6,000 target, he burst into tears and ran off to tell his mum,” Dan disclosed.

"Knowing that my children are proud of me is enough for me.”