A man from Waterbeach has teamed up with his work colleagues to take on a "mighty" challenge at the start of next year (2023).

George Burton, along with three of his colleagues from Woodgreen Animal Shelter, will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in January to raise funds for pets in need.

They originally hoped to complete the challenge in January 2021, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been pushed back a couple of years.

“Our training has been stop start over the past three years but we’ve managed to conquer Ben Nevis and Snowdon along the way,” said George.

“Not to mention during one training weekend when someone decided to go into our tents and steal our belongings – they even took the Doritos!”

Each and every day, the team (George, Nat, Chris B and Chris R) see the real difference that Woodgreen makes to the lives of pets and their people.

Last year, they helped over 4,200 pets, including 641 stray dogs. Some need life-saving veterinary care whilst others need care and love until they find their perfect home.

“Originally, five of us were going to be taking on this challenge but unfortunately our colleague Helen has had to pull out,” said George.

“The climb is going to be extremely challenging for us all – it’s 5,895m to the summit which is the tallest peak in Africa but it’ll all be worth it knowing that the money raised will be helping so many vulnerable pets.”

George and his team will be trekking for six to eight hours a day, for eight days in total.

Their journey will start in the burning African heat where they’ll trek through all four seasons as they wind their way up Kilimanjaro.

“We’ll be doing this while trying to stay warm as the nightly temperatures drop to as low as –20 degrees,” said George.

“Summit day will be the toughest day as we’ll be taking on 15 gruelling hours as we start our final push to the top at midnight.”

He added: “It would be fantastic if people could support us and help us reach our fundraising target of £37,000.”

So far, the team has raised £34,000.

To donate to the team’s Kilimanjaro challenge for Woodgreen, visit their JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/KilimanjaroChallenge2021