Getting to know: Kelly’s Heroes Climb Kilimanjaro – Mark Towers

As part of the Kelly’s Heroes Climb Kilimanjaro charity fundraiser, we are getting to know the team taking on the gruelling  5,895m high mountain climb between 12-21 September 2024.

Next up we have Mark Towers, Head of Operations at Doorco.

Name: Mark Towers

Job title: Head of Operations

Company: Doorco

How long you’ve been there? Five Years

How long have you been in the glazing industry in total? 34 Years

Why are you climbing Kilimanjaro? DoorCo have always been supportive of the Charity, Dan is taking on the cycle challenge across the Pyrenees and as a business we wanted to support both causes this year. I am not a cyclist, so the bike challenges have not been of interest to me. This is more of a walking challenge, although very challenging should be attainable for all levels of fitness and age.

How are you preparing? At the moment, I am doing local hikes and coastal walks, I am lucky to live next to woodland and moors with large hills (not mountains), this give me a base line to start to build my stamina. I am about to sign up to the gym to go before I start work in a morning. The team are also planning to organised hikes before we depart

What are you least looking forward to? The hotels we will be using during the climb, I am told they are not 5*.

Probably like most people taking these challenges on, you fear failure the most, we are representing a great charity, we are asking for sponsorship and funding, you do not want to let the team or charity down. I am not the fittest person in the world and trying to build up the stamina to achieve this will also be a challenge.

What are you most looking forward to? I have never given any thought to taking on challenges like this, but you can only image the stunning scenery this challenge will give us all. Being part of the team which has the same goals will be important and being able to build friendships which would not have happened without the challenge.

What does Kelly’s Heroes mean to you? I have been fortunate to not have lost anyone close to suicide, but we hear more about mental health issues, in particular the younger generation today. I have children in their early 30’s and we are now more aware of the challenges that they face, which we may not have had to. Having a charity like this available to for anyone to access is important, as you never know when one of your own family may need help one day. These charities need constant funding and this can only be done with support from businesses and people committed to supporting a great cause

Link to your Just giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/team/doorco-kilimanjaro

https://www.justgiving.com/page/mark-climbs-kilimanjaro