Inspirational fundraiser climbs Mount Everest in support of Alzheimer's disease

A successful fundraiser who conquered Ben Nevis at midnight and raised over £10,000 for Alzheimer’s Society has already set her sights on her next challenge.

Tracy Salkeld, from Lincolnshire, started setting herself gruelling challenges in a bid to raise awareness of the disease which currently affects around two-thirds of the 850,000 people living with a form of dementia in the UK.

She explained: “In March 2014 I turned 50-years-old and decided that I wanted to do something with a purpose. Since then I have set myself personal challenges and pushed myself to the limit to see what my determination can achieve.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would achieve what I have. From tentatively offering £500 to climb Ben Nevis to raising over £10,000. From nervously joining a Lincolnshire walking group to staring at the sun rising over the highest peak in the world. I want to be a role model and inspiration to others, after all, if I can do it, so can anyone else.”

Ms Salkeld continues to add fundraising events to her list of achievements in order to raise as much money as possible for Alzheimer’s research. Within the last two years she has completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, the Snowdon Midnight Challenge and a Mount Teide trek, to name but a few.

Tracy’s story

Ms Salkeld was brought up in a family with a ‘go for it’ attitude and attended an all-girls boarding school, where she quickly learned independence.

Her late father was her inspiration to conquer her dreams and make them a reality, while her mother spent her childhood years in Scotland and had herself conquered Ben Nevis.

Ms Salkeld first came into contact with Alzheimer's Society through an advert for a Ben Nevis Midnight Challenge in an October 2012 issue of the Slimming World Magazine.

She revealed to carehome.co.uk: “Knowing that there are people out there living with dementia gave me the determination to join the Ben Nevis challenge. Whilst fundraising I came across a very generous online sponsor from a businessman whose mother had suffered chronically from Alzheimer's disease. This generous donation inspired me back then and continues to drive me up mountains and on long distance treks in order to raise as much money as possible.

“When I received a phone call from Alzheimer’s Society offering me a place on the challenge I was both surprised, excited and a little nervous. I was asked how much I could pledge, so tentatively offered £500.”

She added: “Two angles of the challenge appealed to me - first, the personal physical challenge of climbing the mountain at night, and second, the challenge of fundraising.

“However, I was now presented with a twofold challenge. Firstly, to get fit enough to complete the challenge and secondly, to set about raising my sponsorship. I thought ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ and hit it hard. I was supplied with sponsorship forms, which I presented to many people and businesses offering them the chance to make a positive contribution to the charity.”

Tracy’s journey

On a summers evening in June 2013, after only 11 days of trekking, Ms Salkeld reached the summit at 4:30am and achieved her goal. Although she felt she had ‘hit a wall’ during the climb with the constant trudging, cold and fatigue, she was delighted after raising more than £4,500 for Alzheimer’s Society.

Previous research has revealed that over £4,000 could pay for one person living with dementia to have an hour of one-to-one support every week for a year from an experienced dementia support worker. This can help individuals feel less alone and identify any additional services that can help them.

Spurred on by the accomplishment of this challenge and with more determination than ever, Ms Salkeld set off on her next mission; to conquer Mount Everest and reach Base Camp.

Whilst training for her most ambitious climb, Ms Salkeld attended an Alzheimer's Society event – a 26-mile trek from Stone Henge to Avebury where she met a young lady, aged 19, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“She didn’t know that she was doing the Stonehenge challenge and thought she was up for a day’s walk, but it transpired she walked 26 miles and had not realised. That was when I thought I have two perfectly good legs here so let’s go for it,” Ms Salkeld revealed.

On a September morning last year, after climbing more than 17,500 ft, Ms Salkeld had reached her destination, Base Camp.

It has been reported that around 40,000 people take part in the trek from the Lukla airport to the Nepal Everest Base Camp each year.

Although the trek did not come easy Ms Salkeld revealed that the feeling she experienced when she reached Mount Everest Base Camp was ‘indescribable’.

She said: “I was lost for words. When we began the trek in Kathmandu, I saw so much devastation there from what the last earthquake had caused. It really opened my eyes and made me realise how fortunate we are.”

Alzheimer’s Society ambassador

Ms Salkeld is now an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society after raising more than £10,000 and says that the sky is the limit for her fundraising. She continues to raise donations for the charity and aims to be a role model for young fundraisers in her area.

“I do not see a completion to my fundraising. As long as I can I will go on raising funds for Alzheimer's. I have set up Tracy's Challenges deliberately in the plural!” she added.

To find out more about Tracy's fundraising, visit: www.tracyschallenges.co.uk or to make donation visit: https://www.justgiving.com/TracySalkeld/.