Akke prepares to scale the heights in aid of local school

An office manager from Oldham is planning to truly scale the heights at some point this summer in his continuing efforts to raise much-needed funds for the Westwood High School.

An aspiring mountaineer who has already scaled almost 5,000m of the 5,642m high Mount Elbrus in Russia, Akke Rahman, aged 37, is now set on scaling 5,895m to reach the summit of the famous Mount Kilimanjaro - lockdown restrictions permitting of course.

Akke said: "I hope to raise £10,000 for Westwood High School.

"I will be doing a five-day ascent/descend of Mount Kilimanjaro in June for the cause.

"The five-day plan is almost half the recommended time, but I feel confident, strong and I’m up for the challenge.

"I also did a 20km run on May 7, with 10 friends, and raised £1,500, which will be added to the total.

"There are other events, including family events, planned up to and after the main climb, but those are also subject to lockdown restrictions being lifted."

Akke's 10-day expedition to Mount Elbrus last September was sadly cut just short when his party was beaten back by dangerous weather conditions.

Despite not quite making it to the summit, he still raised over £2,500, cash that went towards constructing nine vital water wells in his native Bangladesh.

Westwood High is an Oldham independent girls school which is one of the best in the Borough and is going through a very difficult time because of COVID-19.

The school's latest Ofsted report came back with 'outstanding' in every aspect.

The 2019 report stated: "The principal leads the school with passion and skill.

"She has high aspirations and great expectations of pupils and staff."

The school was already fundraising to pay off its £96,000 Qardh e Hasanah (interest free loan), and now the continuing lockdown is causing major cash flow issues. 

If the lockdown continues for too long and tuition fee income does not come in on time, the school could potentially go bankrupt.

To donate to Akke's Westwood High GiveBrite page, click here

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