Kingsclere couple prepare to climb Everest

Penny Riley and Stewart Macrae are taking part in a 19-day trek to raise money for Help for Heroes

A KINGSCLERE couple are preparing to climb Everest later this year to raise money for the injured soldiers charity Help for Heroes.

Penny Riley, aged 34, and Stewart Macrae, aged 40, will embark on a 19-day trek in November, which will see them climb to Everest base camp and then the summit of Kalapatar alongside about 30 people, including a number of injured servicemen.

Miss Riley said Help for Heroes had been particularly helpful for her brother Lee Riley after he was recently injured while serving with 42 Commando Royal Marines in Afghanistan.

She said: “We have seen first hand the impact Help for Heroes has and the brilliant work that goes on.

“I knew that they did a lot of good things, but seeing how they help those on the frontline was truly inspiring.”

Miss Riley added that she and her partner signed up to the trek before her brother went out to Afghanistan, adding that she wanted to do something positive to help support the troops.

She said she and Mr Macrae had set a target of reaching £10,000 by January 2012, and that her fundraising efforts would go towards a personnel recovery centre in Plymouth, where her brother lives.

The couple are planning a number of events over the coming months to support their fundraising efforts, including having a stand at the Royal County of Berkshire Show next month.

To donate to their cause, click on the links below.