Burnley trekkers conquer mountain for East Lancashire Down's Syndrome Support Group
A facetime call from the mountain, to the little girl who inspired them to climb it, was one of the highlights of a charity trek for a group of Burnley pals.
The call to Maggie Bolton (six) was made from Mount Toubkal in Morocco, the highest peak in North Africa, at 13,671 feet. Maggie’s dad Jon was among the nine strong team who took part in the climb which has raised £6,799, with donations still coming in, for the East Lancashire Down’s Syndrome Support Group.
They chose the charity as Maggie has Down’s Syndrome and the organisation provides some much needed support for children like Maggie and their families throughout Lancashire.
Climb organiser James McDonough, whose daughter Gwen is Maggie’s best friend at Cliviger Primary School, said: “We spent around 45 minutes at the summit and we had it all to ourselves. It was a fantastic experience and we made incredible memories.”
The trekkers planted a Burnley flag at the summit emblazoned with the names of the companies who sponsored them.
They also paid a visit to a local school in Imil to drop off several pairs of trainers donated by Burnley FC in the Community, along with a collection of Burnley shirts and other items the trekkers bought themselves.
James said: “The community in that area is very poor but the teacher Saeed, said he had heard of Burnley! They were very grateful for the items and I would like to thank the BFC charity. There are 300 pupils and Saeed said they would be given to the children with the best results and attitude.”
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