ACCOUNTANT TAKES ON KILIMANJARO TO SUPPORT WILTSHIRE AIR AMBULANCE

Emma Skinner, an Associate Director at Old Town based accountancy firm Haines Watts Swindon, has pledged to raise at least £8,000 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro next year.

The keen footballer and sports woman, who lives in Swindon, has just under a year to train for her epic adventure which will involve her climbing the 5895 metres to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain in September 2024. 

She said: “I’ve always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro and it is amazing to be able to do it whilst raising money for this incredible charity.

“I was staggered to learn that it costs £11,000 a day to keep the air ambulance flying. The charity gets zero support from the National Health Service or from the government or any other official body, so their work relies solely on fund-raising by ordinary people and supportive local businesses.”

Emma has been training and fundraising since September this year to prepare for her African adventure. She is being supported by the entire team at Haines Watts who have all taken part in in-house fundraising activities including a silent auction, Halloween fancy dress, anything but a bag day in September and cake sales amongst others.

Emma said: “I’ll also undertake other personal fund-raising activities along the way – such as climbing 11,000 steps to represent what it costs to keep the ambulance in the air for a single day in Wiltshire. I’m also organising a football tournament for the summer of 2024.  I plan to spend the coming months hiking up as many mountains as I possibly can. The altitude is a really significant factor for the challenge so I will be looking to train my body to give me the best chance of success.”

Wiltshire Air Ambulance, which is based in Semington, near Trowbridge, can reach anywhere in the county is just 11 minutes and it’s a critical care service for the county paid for solely by residents and businesses. It calls itself the ‘RNLI’ of the air. To support Emma and Wiltshire Air Ambulance visit https://www.givengain.com/ap/emma-skinner-raising-funds-for-wiltshire-air-ambulance/#timeline

Nationally, Haines Watts is a top 15 firm of Chartered Accountants who specialise in advising and supporting business owners, individuals and not-for-profit organisations. The firm has been at the centre of the Swindon and Wiltshire business communities for more than 25 years. For more information visit https://www.hwca.com/accountants-swindon/