Craig takes on Kilimanjaro for the patients at the Alan Hudson Centre

Craig Kitching took on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa,  for a very important reason.

He wanted to give back to the Alan Hudson Centre in Wisbech for caring for his Mum, Tina and his Father in Law, Tom.

Craig explained:

“My Mum had terrific support from Emma Warner, who is a Specialist Nurse. She does wonderful work in the Wisbech community as well as all the team at the Alan Hudson Centre.

My Father in Law, Tom, also visited the Centre for his Treatment and Living Well days. He enjoyed taking part in activities, including making all the family paper hedgehogs! He loved all music and enjoyed the Christmas parties that was held there for the patients.”

It is in their memory and to help all current and future patients, who are in the care of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, that I took on the challenge of climbing the highest free standing mountain in the world. This grueling task took me eight days to complete, starting on Friday 9 January 2026. This ensured I allowed my body to acclimatise to the altitude of the mountain.”

The challenge was a “mental game” for Craig, who said he could have quit many times, but the thought of the Alan Hudson Centre kept him going despite partially losing his vision. He said:

“If I can put a smile on someone’s face for one more day, that would make me very happy with what I have achieved. I am mentally shattered. I started getting altitude sickness at around 4,000 metres, and when I was on the summit, it was ‘really bad’, and I was partially losing my vision. The more I got into it, I just kept thinking, I can’t let them down. There was too much weight on my shoulders to quit.” 

To support Craig, please visit his sponsorship page: www.justgiving.com/page/craig-kitchen-1

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Our ‘Outstanding’ services are provided free of charge to patients and their families. Our aim being to provide the highest quality care, helping people to make every moment count. You can find out more about how we are funded here: arhc.org.uk/how-we-are-funded.