The tough trek will involve climbing the legendary Everest Trail to Base Camp a (literally) breath-taking 5,360 metres above sea level. To put this into perspective, the highest mountain in the British Isles is Ben Nevis in Scotland stands at just 1,345 metres!
As a lawyer who has worked with many families of children with acquired brain injuries and other brain conditions over the years, Christine is passionate about raising awareness and much-needed funds for us.
Christine is delighted and honoured to have received advice and support from renowned adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, the first person in history to reach the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles as well as climb the highest peaks in all seven continents, the ‘Adventurers’ Grand Slam’.
Christine will start her trek from the southern side of Everest, putting more than 12 months of training into practice to take on the epic hike. Her training regime has included borrowing a Hypoxic Training Machine from the Altitude Centre to improve her fitness and to help her adjust to the altitude she will be facing.
Christine is flying to Kathmandu, Nepal to prepare for the adventure on 4 April and after a short flight to Lukla Airport, rated the most dangerous airport in the world due to its high terrain and steep drops, she will start her 13-day trek with fellow climbers in the heart of the Himalayas.
She will begin a two-day walk to the village of Namche Bazaar to begin acclimatising to the high altitude and then trek for another two days to Dingboche to acclimatise further before starting her four-day ascent to Everest Base Camp.
Christine said: “I love to get out of my comfort zone for charity and in recent years I’ve skydived over Salisbury Plain and wing walked on a 1940s Boeing Stearman biplane doing heart-stopping aerobatics to raise money for Cerebra; but this is my biggest challenge to date!
“I can’t say I am looking forward to the possibility of getting altitude sickness or the extreme cold – rumour has it that it can reach minus 15 degrees at night – but while the trek will be a significant physical and mental test for me, it’s nothing compared to the challenges that families with children living with brain conditions deal with every day of their lives.
“The climb to Everest Base Camp will be an experience of a lifetime and to be able to do it while raising funds for Cerebra’s tremendous work supporting children with brain conditions and their families is a fantastic opportunity.”
Chris Jones, Chief Executive at Cerebra said: “Families where a child has a brain condition face challenges every day. Just to learn, play, make friends, enjoy and experience the world can feel difficult, even impossible. But we don’t believe there’s any challenge that can’t be overcome. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our work and so we are so very grateful to Christine for taking on yet another challenge of her own and wish her a safe and successful trip”.
If you’d like to make a donation to Cerebra, Christine has set up a Just Giving page. She is funding the trek herself, so any money raised will go directly to the charity. To donate please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chrisbunting1.
Christine is director of Hyphen Law, a team of highly experienced specialist lawyers and support staff working solely on Court of Protection cases relating to property and affairs and the creation and management of personal injury trusts. The team works with clients, case managers, solicitors, families and support teams to deliver services tailored to their clients’ needs.