A group of stars from Coronation Street and The Bill are leaving behind the glamorous world of show business and heading for new heights together, by hiking to the top of Africa’s highest peak in aid of charity.
The group - which includes Stephen Beckett, better known to Corrie fans as Dr Matt Ramsden, and The Bill’s Simon Rouse, otherwise known as DCI Jack Meadows - are flying to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro this weekend and will begin the five-day trek on Sunday. They'll be confronting the risks of freezing conditions and altitude sickness in order to raise money for cancer research.
The other actors from Coronation Street who’ve signed on are Clare McGlinn, aka Charlie Ramsden, and Naomi Russell, who plays lingerie factory worker Bobbi Lewis. Stars from The Bill include Natalie Roles, known as DS Debbie McAlister, Matthew Crompton, who plays PC Sam Harker, and Suzanne Maddock, aka PC Cass Rickman.
Australian actress Kylie Nevis, who plays Shauna Bradley in the antipodean soap Home and Away, is leading the party to the 5,895m peak. A Channel 5 documentary team will follow their progress to the top as they camp out for six nights in sub-zero temperatures.
Situated in Tanzania, east Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro is five times higher than Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and at its peak the oxygen levels are half those of normal.
The climbers are set to raise more than £20,000 for the Bobby Moore Fund, which was set up by Stephanie Moore, in conjunction with Imperial Cancer Research, following the World Cup winning footballer’s death from bowel cancer aged 51, in 1993.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
