Orangemen aiming for highest ever meeting on charity trek up Kilimanjaro

The 24-strong band of brothers have already been part of an amazing effort to raise a quarter of a million pounds for four children’s cancer charities and are funding the trip themselves to ensure every single penny is put to good use.

The Hiking For Little Heroes challenge had been delayed from last year due to Covid, but now the men are raring to take on Africa’s highest peak in Tanzania.

One of those taking part is Banbridge man Stuart Magill, who said: “It was meant to happen last year but it was put back 12 months because of Covid, but we see that as a benefit as it has allowed us to raise much more money for the four children’s cancer charities.

"We’re at £257,000 … that’s over a quarter of a million.

"We are completely blown away because when we first started off in 2019 we set ourselves a target of £30,000.”

The Banbridge Orangemen chose the four charities – Children Cancer Unit at Royal Victoria Hospital, Angel Wishes, Cancer Fund For Children, B Positive – because of their links to Adam Watson, a nine-year-old from the town who passed away in August after a brave battle with leukaemia.

Adam touched the hearts of many following his diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of seven.

He was the inspiration for the charity B Positive, set up by his family to provide hope and positivity to others in similar situations.

Adam battled through four rounds of intense chemotherapy and on his eighth birthday in September 2020 rang the bell to signal the end of his treatment.

However, after 10 months in remission, the family were given the devastating news that his leukaemia had returned.Stuart said: “A lot of people have rallied around because the reason we picked these four charities is because they were the four that were looking after Adam and his family.

"Adam’s father David has always been very heavily involved with fundraising through Banbridge Orange Hall, he would have been taking part in the Kilimanjaro walk only for Adam’s sad passing.

"A lot of people who felt helpless with Adam being in the hospital wanted to rally round in their own way and that was raising money to say thank you to the four charities for helping them and supporting them.”

The group fly out on Boxing Day and start the walk on December 29.

They should reach the top of Kilimanjaro early in the new year and along the way they plan to set some new records for the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

Stuart said: "The vast majority of the group are Orangemen, most of them associated with Banbridge Orange Hall.

"It will be the first time ever there has been an Orange meeting held in Africa with a warrant from the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

"There are Orange lodges in Africa but they hold warrants from the Grand Orange Lodge of England.

“The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has issued us with a special travelling warrant to hold the meeting on Kilimanjaro. We’ve got our collarettes with us but no Lambeg drum as on previous walks.”

David Stewart, an Orangeman from east Belfast, is also part of the group.

A keen hiker and a senior member of the group, he said he was looking forward to taking on the highest mountain in Africa as well as taking part in the special meeting.

He said: “It’ll be the highest ever meeting of the Orange Lodge. It might not be at the summit, it will probably be at the camp the night before we reach the summit.

"That’s going to be a really unique experience.”

He added: “We were meant to go last year but Covid made things difficult.

"We could still have done it but with Tanzania being on the red list it meant that coming back you’d have to isolate in a hotel for two weeks.

"The majority of us are self-employed so we couldn’t lose another two weeks wages on top of the two weeks we’re already losing.”

The group of 24 from Northern Ireland will be supported by 76 Tanzanians in the roles of chefs, doctors, guides and porters

Stuart said: “It’s a quite a big operation, it’s costing us over £100,000 to go. That’s all self-funded.

"It means that every penny we raise will go to the charities.

"We’re Orangemen, but the money we’re raising is for everybody, across the board, regardless of race, creed, religion.”

Some of the men are foregoing the traditional Irish League Boxing Day derbies to take on the charity challenge in Kilimanjaro.

David, a Glentoran fan, said: “This will be the first time I’ve missed watching the Glens on Boxing Day for I’d say 50 years.”

Stuart said: "Quite a lot of the boys would have been going to football matches on Boxing Day – the Mid-Ulster derby or the Big Two derby down in Belfast.

“There could be some aggro on the plane on the way over."

Of the trek itself Stuart said: "The camaraderie will be key for getting through the tough days.

“Fitness wise it’s going to be a physical challenge but it’s going to be a big mental challenge as well. The altitude is going to be the biggest challenge of them all.”

David added: “It's six days up and two days down. There’s six of us, including myself, who are staying for a safari after. I’ll never be in Africa again and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

"I do a lot of walking in the Mournes. We’ve been walking a bit further, a bit longer, trying to make it a bit harder.

"I think we’re all okay but the unknown is the altitude sickness, you just don’t know how you’ll react. We’ve got a doctor with us to check oxygen levels and things like that.

“We’ve picked the six day route because it has the highest success rate, it gives you more time to acclimatise.

"The majority are in their thirties, myself and Kenny are two of the oldest ones. I’d say we’ll probably end up split in two groups – the ones who will race up and the ones who will paddle along at the back.”