A KEEN fell-walker has taken on the mammoth money-raising mission of scaling Africa's highest mountain for the SuperScan Appeal.

Mr Graham Howarth, 33, of Colne Road, Burnley, will be jetting out with a group of climbing enthusiasts in March to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro.

He is a keen walker and has scaled most mountains in this country, including Sca Fell, Ben Nevis and Snowdon, but has never climbed peaks abroad.

He heard about the trip, which is organised by Worldwide Travel, on the BBC Holiday programme.

The group will climb the 19,340ft mountain, taking six days to ascend, because of the altitude and 12 hours to descend. He decided to give his support to the appeal to raise £1 million for an MRI scanner when he read in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that the scanner can help identify and locate sports injuries.

He is interested to hear from anyone or any firms who can sponsor his trip.

"Being a bit of a sportsman myself, I thought it was a good cause to support," said Graham. "I always wanted to go to the Himalayas, but it would take too long and I couldn't get that amount of time off work.

"I am really looking forward to it. It's the first time I've been up to that sort of level."

Anyone who can sponsor Graham should contact him on 01282 831199 ext 4253.

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