BATTLING the debilitating effects of altitude sickness, four local charity workers managed to scale almost 6,000 metres to stand atop the highest mountain in Africa — and help raise more than £32,000 to aid disadvantaged children.

Emily John, Rod Webb-Taylor, Debbie Horrell, and Liz Wotton all work for CHICKS at Dunterton near Milton Abbott, where they provide much needed holidays in the countryside for inner city kids.

They spent a fortnight last month in Tanzania climbing Kilimanjaro, known locally as Uhuru, with 16 other volunteers and local porters.

'It was absolutely fantastic — the event of my life — a totally amazing experience,' said Emily.

The group took six days to clamber to the 'Roof of Africa', acclimatising to the altitude all the way, but a lot of the team still suffered the effects of oxygen deprivation to some degree.

Emily was struck during the final ascent to the summit, a six-hour slog over scree in the pitch blackness of the cold pre-dawn, suffering nausea and headaches, the mild end of a condition that can in extreme cases lead to death.

'It does make you feel very peculiar, but to be on the summit and watch the sun rise over the plains, it was really amazing, totally stunning — it made it all worthwhile,' she said.

And when the sun started warming the permanent ice-cap at the summit, the spiky wind sculptures cracking like gunshots, vivid memories were implanted, leaving the desire to do more.

Already the group is planning another trip next year to take in three volcanoes in Ecuador, South America. The final assault will be on a mountain higher even than Uhuru and the tallest active volcano in the world.

The efforts of all 20 volunteers in scaling Uhuru Peak will be sufficient to provide holidays for 125 children, but Emily said they would like to use the money to provide something for the children that could be identified directly as being the fruits of their climb.

'We haven't yet decided, but we want to buy something so our people can say the Kilimanjaro money did that,' she said.

One possibility is a new wing at the Milton Abbot building. The climbers will be meeting shortly to discuss how best to use all the extra money.