Tree Surgeon takes up Charity Challenge

Tree surgeon John Joinson will be putting his ladders to a new use this month when he embarks on an innovative challenge to help charities during the pandemic.

Starting on 7th June, John and his daughter Hollie will be climbing the height of Everest using 2.5 metre ladders, something they have called ‘Everest 1 rung at a time’.

The ambitious father and daughter will be aiming to reach the equivalent height of Everest, 8848m above sea level in a week, which will mean them climbing the ladders 507 times a day. They will be raising money for the Neuro Therapy Centre which supports people with neurological conditions and their Carers across North Wales, Cheshire and the Wirral and the NHS charities fund, with the money being split equally between the two charities.

“Soon after I started training, my daughter Hollie told me that she wanted to join me in the challenge, so we have spent the last couple of weeks in training whilst socially distancing from each other,” said John Johnson. “After committing to this challenge I'm rapidly realising how unfit I am, and the effort that is going to be involved in pulling this off. But we’re both determined to stick with it and achieve it.”

John added: “Now more than ever, UK charities need our help in these difficult times. After some careful consideration about which charities to pick, two charities stood out for us. We have chosen the NHS because it is doing a sterling job and deserves our respect and support in normal times, but since the start of the pandemic it has become increasingly clear how much we all need and rely on our NHS heroes. After learning that the Neuro Therapy Centre needs close to £10,000 per month just to keep going, it was clear that they needed our help too. They support over 500 people in our region who are either living with a long-term neurological condition for which there is no cure or are their Carer. This charity has completely re-invented the way it delivers its services since Covid-19 struck, and it now operates as a virtual centre. Its main aim is to carry on supporting the people who vitally need its services which helps to keep them out of hospital, which could have a catastrophic affect at the moment.”

The Neuro Therapy Centre usually offers one-to-one and group physiotherapy, counselling, oxygen therapies and social activities from its base in Saltney but since lockdown began it has turned to telephone and online methods to support people, from keeping in regular contact with people to offer support and advice through to offering nine live exercise classes a week and a range of social activities using Zoom.

“We were delighted when John approached us to say that he would like to support the Neuro Therapy Centre through his challenge, and what a challenge it is!” said Shannah Goodrick Corporate and Community Fundraiser at the Neuro Therapy Centre. “All of us at the Centre wish John and his daughter good luck with his challenge and wish to thank him enormously on behalf of our members for choosing the Centre as one of the charities he is supporting and for thinking of such a creative idea. The money raised will help us to continue our Virtual Centre and help us plan for re-opening when that time comes.”

To sponsor John and Hollie’s Everest 1 Rung At A Time Challenge visit their sponsorship page at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnJoinson1

If you have a neurological condition and you’d like to access the Centre’s support on their website visit www.neurotherapycentre.org or follow them on their Facebook or Twitter pages @NTCentre

About the Neuro Therapy Centre:

The Neuro Therapy Centre supports people with neurological conditions including MS, Parkinson’s, ME and MND, and their Carers from across Cheshire, North Wales and the Wirral.

More details at www.neurotherapycentre.org