By Tim Saunders on
The group of celebrities attempting to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro have reached their target.
The group – which includes Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Cole, singer Alesha Dixon, television presenters Fearne Cotton and Ben Shephard, West-End star Denise van Outen and radio DJ Chris Moyles – reached the summit of the 19,300ft (5,900m) peak as dawn broke on Saturday, March 7.
The group climbed the mountain to raise awareness and money for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day, which will take place on March 15.
Several members of the team suffered from altitude sickness during the ascent, with Barlow being hampered by a back injury he suffered during training for the climb. According to Comic Relief, they endured sleepless nights and aches and pains due to the lack of oxygen.
“Cheryl for one has already said she’s never done anything so mentally and physically demanding and I doubt anyone in the team will disagree,” reported the official blog of the climb. “A temperature of minus 15 and air so thin your lungs positively burn with disappointment every time you take a breath means you can’t stop long.”
The climbers raised over £1.4 million for Comic Relief, and the climb will feature in a documentary to be shown on Red Nose Day.
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars
