Manchester Evening News editor Paul Horrocks will tomorrow embark on his “biggest personal adventure” as he attempts to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro.

Paul, (51), is part of a team of eight taking part in a ten-day fundraising trip in aid of the paper’s Kirsty’s Appeal, which aims to raise £5m to safeguard the Francis House children’s hospice charity.

After months of training he and the team, which also includes MEN deputy managing director Mark Rix, will leave for Tanzania tomorrow.

Paul (left) with the team and Sue Johnston, who is a patron of Francis House

They will spend seven days climbing the mountain along the Machame route, starting out at 2,250ft and finishing the ascent at Uhuru Peak at 19,340ft – the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Paul said: “I’m looking forward to it and just want to get on with it.

“For me this will be my biggest personal adventure.

“I don’t know if my knees will hold out or if I’ll be affected by altitude sickness, but people in their 60s, 70s and 80s have climbed it – I’ve read so much about it I’ve gone dizzy.”

But not content with dealing with these challenges, Paul is also planning to e-mail back a daily diary for the newspaper and its website, and hopes to broadcast to radio and television news outlets from the summit using an iridium satellite phone supplied by BT for the trip.

MEN staff will not be able to sit back safe in the knowledge that their boss is halfway up a mountain either, as Paul has been given a satellite digital subscriber line data box which will allow him to access pages of the paper via his laptop as they are being put together.

Paul said: “I should be able to see the front page and the leader column etc, and make ammendments if I feel strongly about something.

“However the inclination to do that will probably diminish as my enegy does!”

Two cameramen are also joining Paul and the rest of the team on the trip and will film the climb for a two-part documentary, Chasing The Dream, which will be broadcast on ITV Granada in October.

Paul said: “It’s all part of raising the profile of the appeal. We’re hoping to raise at least £50,000 and more if we can.”

If you would like to sponsor Paul and the team, you can donate online at www.manchesteronline.co.uk or send a cheque, payable to ‘MEN – Kirsty Appeal’, to: Joanne Watchorn, PA to Paul Horrocks, Manchester Evening News, 164 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3RN