09 November 2009 Kelda scales the heights
by Carolyn Tanner
KELDA WOOD: aboard Shafts Chance at Garnons in March
photo: Phil Britt
When the 2009/10 Point-to-Point season is over, Shropshire-based trainer-rider Kelda Wood is taking on a different challenge. She will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, in a bid to raise £5,000 for Help For Heroes, and will be among a group of 30 climbers, all of whom will be raising money for the charity of their choice.
"I climbed in the Annapurnas in the Himalayas in 2001, and always wanted to do another, but it was a case of fitting it in with the horses," Kelda explained. "As a fit active person, I can understand how devastating it would be to sustain the injuries that these men are receiving, and I felt I wanted to do something to help, both for those who have been seriously injured and for those who have had to suffer the trauma of seeing their friends and colleagues killed in action."
Kelda, who will be taking collection buckets to meetings throughout the season, is also organising a charity ball for the same cause on February 6 in Shrewsbury. Tickets cost £35, to include a three-course meal, and where the guest speaker will be Stuart Trow, a serviceman who has recently completed his own Kilimanjaro climb despite having lost a leg in action. There will also be an auction of promises, among which are likely to be tickets for racing and a day's hunting as well as items for the less horse-minded!
Anyone who wishes to donate or to offer their support can contact Kelda on 01743 790549/07977 574785.
