As I type, I'm back in my hotel room on the eve of Lib Dem Conference in Glasgow, having spent the day travelling to Fort William to climb Ben Nevis - arriving back around 30 minutes ago.
Four of us took on the challenge of the three and half hour ascent of the highest peak in the United Kingdom with the aim of raising funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee's Syria Appeal. You can donate in support of our efforts here.
Meanwhile, here are some photos from the day...
Meall an t-Suidhe, which the path to Ben Nevis skirts before you ascend the mountain itself...
...and a first view of Nevis itself...
...and a closer view (although we were barely halfway!)...
...not too long after we discovered how changeable mountain weather can be...
...but we could still see this crevice opening into a precipitous drop...
...but we made it!...
...and the weather cleared (a bit)...
...allowing me to get this picture of Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe on the way back down.
A week today, I'll be in Glasgow for the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference.
Prior to that, though, I'll be in Fort William on Friday. Well, I say in Fort William... I mean on Ben Nevis - the peak of which is highlighted in white* in the picture above, taken back in March.
The aim of the climb - dubbed "Lib Dem Nevis" and being undertaken by me and a number of other Lib Dems - was originally two-fold: to raise awareness of the issues surrounding paying interns and to raise funds towards a bursary that would help fund a paid intern for Head Office. The climb's organiser, Glyn Ley, discussed the issue on Lib Dem Voice.
These issues remain important but it has been decided that in the light of the situation in Syria, funds should be directed to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Syria Appeal. With millions of people displaced and Chemical Weapons being deployed, humanitarian aid and support is vitally needed. As a committee of many of the UK's leading charities, the DEC can raise and channel funds to those organisations best placed to help.
On Red Nose Day, I posted this blog which featured footage of the tragedy which was the genesis of Comic Relief. This week, the news of the growing problems caused by the drought in the Horn of Africa has led to a Disasters Emergency Committee appeal. The footage may not be as dramatic as that from 1984, and the camps may seem to be better run and better prepared and supplied, but 10 million people are believed to be at risk of famine.
Please watch this video and, if you are able to, please consider donating. DEC appeal funds are channelled through major UK charities, many of whom are already working in the affected area. You can donate online here and if you're a UK taxpayer please complete the Gift Aid declaration so that tax relief can be claimed on your contribution - boosting your donation by 25%. You can also text "CRISUS" to 70000 to donate £5 through your UK mobile network.
If you're not able to donate but did contribute towards this years record breaking Comic Relief total (£102 million at last count), you may find this of interest, taken from an e-mail I received today:
It's now 9 days on from the earthquake that devastated Haiti. In amongst the tensions and recriminations that arise from the slow delivery of aid - caused in no small part by the destruction of the country's infrastructure and the effective collapse of the government - it is easy to question the point of donating. Will the money just end up sloshing around and never reach the people it is intended to help?
While this is an understandable (and not entirely cynical) mindset, two things should be bourne in mind:
The problems with aid delivery are not insurmountable and will not last forever. While lessons may have to be learned, mounting such an operation at short notice in such extreme circumstances was always going to be problematic.
The aid will be required for a long time to come, long after the story ceases to be news.
There are now, thankfully, signs that the aid is starting to get through. The main port is reported to have reopened, which should greatly help the aid effort.
This post has been written to urge you to join those who have collectively raised £38m - you can donate here. If you're reading this outside the UK, please donate to your own local appeal, if you can.
You may also like to take further action by signing Oxfam's petition to bring forward the programme to cancel Haiti's international debt. This would give the country a better chance of (re)building its infrastructure and establishing effective governance than would otherwise be the case.
