A team of 21 fundraisers have scaled Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in north Africa, raising an extraordinary £82,000 for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.
The five-day trek through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco culminated in reaching the 4,167-metre summit in near-perfect conditions. Every person who made that climb brought with them their own story, their own reason for lacing up their boots and taking on one of the most demanding landscapes on earth.
Among the group was Andrea Perrot, 51, from Birkdale, who was treated at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2024.
“Clatterbridge Liverpool saved my life,” she said. “I was blown away by the team who treated me, and of course the chemo suite crew. Importantly, so was my mother, who was a nursing sister in the NHS for years. She’d never seen facilities like it, and everyone she met was so kind to her as well.”
For Andrea, who works in IT for the NHS, travelling to Morocco carried a deeper significance. It was a region she had loved for years.
“I adore Morocco and I have fond memories of a time in the Atlas Mountains years ago. I couldn’t believe the trek was in a place with a very special place in my heart. I was buzzing to go back, and because it was for Clatterbridge it made it even more special.”
For many in the group, the climb was a way of honouring people they had lost or were supporting through cancer.
Graham Macdonald, a 46-year-old teacher from New Brighton, described how cancer had touched almost every corner of his life.
“There have been many that it has touched,” he said. “Just weeks ago, my friend said her last goodbyes. One of the closest I have lost is my father, John Macdonald. He battled cancer for around five years towards the end of his life and was thankful for every second that the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity helped him to grasp.
The £82,000 raised by this remarkable group will make a real difference to patients and families across Cheshire, Merseyside and beyond, funding the kind of expert care and support that so many of these climbers spoke about with such gratitude.
Plans are already in place for another challenge event next year, and if you feel inspired to take on something extraordinary, we would love to hear from you.
Keep an eye on our Events page to find out more!
