JMU man of the mountain

A JMU student faces a daunting two-day climb to the summit of the highest mountain in Wales this week to raise money for the earthquake-shattered island of Haiti.

Music and Audio Production student, Stephen Taggart, 20, originally from Crosby will accompany three experienced climbers to the 3,560ft mountain of Snowdon commencing this Friday.

Ray Regan, 32, Andrew Cronin, 21 and Zak Liver, 18 from Merseyside and the Isle of Man form the original group which Stephen asked to join only a week ago.

Stephen said: “I want to do everything I can to help, so I asked to join their group. Around £250 in donations has been raised so far but we are hoping to raise £1,000.

“Everyone is really enthusiastic about what we are doing and I can’t wait for the climb. We are so grateful for everyone who has contributed so far. Now I really can see that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

Since the fateful afternoon of January 12 2010, eye witness accounts have brought us images of a country devastated by the realities of natural disaster.

Haiti, in particular the capital Port au Prince, has seen untold loss of life, families mourning their loved ones, collapsed homes and aid workers tugging victims free from under the rubble with their bare hands.
Subsequent violence and looting born of desperation and terror has torn through the country in a bid to grasp at international relief efforts since that day.

Here in the UK, talks of sustained periods of redevelopment for Haiti and pleas from the public to write off debts have reached our ears and tugged at our hearts.

With this in mind, Andy Cronin said: “Ray and I saw the footage on BBC news and it really shocked us to see what was happening and decided to put our experience of climbing to good use. I knew Ste before the climb and once he found out, we had an extra member.”

The rest of the climb team will reach Liverpool on Thursday and begin the ascend on Friday, so long as weather conditions permit the expedition.

To make a donation and support their cause, click here, to navigate to the page set up in conjunction with UNICEF.
 
David Bull, Executive Director of UNICEF UK, said: “We at UNICEF have been overwhelmed by the response from the UK public to the Haiti earthquake.

"Around half the Haitian population are under 18, making UNICEF's role in the relief effort all the more poignant. UNICEF was working in Haiti long before this disaster and will be there long after, working to ensure that children are healthy, protected from abuse and can continue to recieve an education. Thank you to everyone that has supported the children of Haiti."