THE slopes of Suckley paled into insignificance for one family when they took on a cycling challenge involving Mount Kilimanjaro.

Christine and Andrew Grieve, along with daughter Ashlyn Smith, trekked from the slopes of Kilimanjaro, in Moshi, and finished at the NgoroNgoro crater rese-rve, more than 250 miles away.

The challenge began on Monday, October 7, and the family completed their journey on Friday, October 12, raising £2,000 for St Richard’s Hospice and the Unite and Bike Against Cancer charities.

Mrs Grieve, aged 58, who is originally from California in the US, lived in Tanzania, Africa for a spell before coming to Suckley, Worcestershire, 17 years ago.

She met her husband, Andrew, 63, who used to live in Western Africa, while in the States where her daughter, 35, still resides in Ohio.

Foster carer Mrs Grieve said: “It was good to go back to Africa and see old friends and re-connect with them having left so long ago.

“My daughter attended an international school here so it was great for her to see her old school and see how things have changed.

“There was great scen-ery, but the hardest part was dealing with the heat, tough road conditions, exhaustion and long days in the saddle.

“However, the best bits were the great group of 47 other riders all pulling together to get us through this tough ride.

“I fell over on the first day and picked up a few bruises, but nothing that stopped me from riding and the experience got better from there.

“We didn’t see a whole lot of wildlife, mostly just goats. But we did see zebras and even rode alongside them at one point.”

After the challenge was completed, the family stayed a week in Africa to visit old friends and “recharge on the beaches”.

St Richard’s Hospice fund-raiser, Jodi Brand-wood, said, “We are so pleased that they all finished the ride and had such a memorable trip. It’s a fantastic way to take on the adventure of a life-time while raising money for St Richard’s at the same time.”

If you are interested in taking on next year’s challenge, call 01905 763 963 or e-mail jbrandwood@strichards.org.uk For more information about St Richard’s visit strichards.org.uk.