A Derby Evening Telegraph reporter has helped the paper's Magic Million appeal reach new heights by scaling Africa's highest mountain.

Karen Holt raised £1,200 as she joined 11 other intrepid trekkers for a six day hike up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Karen (front) at the summit

The Telegraph's appeal to buy new cancer equipment for Derby's hospitals now totals more than £800,000.

Karen, who has written six feature articles about the trip for the paper, told Holdthefrontpage: "It was a very daunting prospect and I did have to think about it – but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"The scenery was out of this world. For two days to begin with we were in the depths of very green rainforest but then it became more barren.

"As we got further up it was like being on a volcano – it was very dusty and rockier."

The group took one of the longest routes up the 20,000ft mountain in order to make it easier to acclimatise to the altitude change.

Karen said: "It was a six day trek up and two days down again.

"Our last camp site at 4,600 metres before reaching the top was amazing. Being above the clouds was very surreal – it was like being in a plane, but actually seeing the same sight from the mountain is very weird."

"But I felt like giving up two hours from the summit. Our last trek was overnight from 11.30pm to 8am. I was tired, had a headache and really wanted to be sick.

"I've never had altitude sickness before but it makes you feel like you can't go on. It takes all your effort just to put one foot in front of the other.

"Some of the group were falling over and collapsing and we'd have to keep stopping.

"The oxygen supply at the top is about half that of sea level and the temperatures can get as low as to -20C."

• The Magic Million appeal was launched in 1996 by Derby fundraiser Bernard Le Blond who died of prostate cancer in 1997. The Evening Telegraph adopted the appeal in October 2002 and has since helped collect £383,000.

More than £700,000 has already been spent on equipment for treating cancer in Derby's hospitals.

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