Family and friends of Matthew Hatton climb Mount Kilimanjaro (From York Press)

Family and friends of Matthew Hatton climb Mount Kilimanjaro

7:52am Wednesday 24th March 2010 in

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SEVERE altitude sickness did not stop the family and friends of York war hero Matthew Hatton from reaching the 5,896-metre summit of Africa’s highest mountain.

The 23-year-old’s parents, sisters and other friends and relatives have successfully completed their six-day expedition to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.

They signed up to the adventure last September, following Lance Bombardier Hatton’s death in Afghanistan in August.

Initially their aim was to raise £30,000 for Help for Heroes – a charity supporting British troops injured in action – but at the latest count, their fundraising total had topped £56,000.

Matthew’s mother, Jill, said: “We were so determined to get to the top, especially as we were doing it for our Matt, and to get there was really special and quite emotional. Matt would have been absolutely amazed and so pleased that we got there because it was a real challenge.”

Matthew’s father, Phil, a civil servant at the Department of Work and Pensions, said: “It was really, really hard, but we were all so determined to do it for Matt and I know he would have been so proud of us.

“That’s why we wanted to do it – to make him proud of us, just like we were so proud of him.”

Jill, 52, and Phil, 54, were joined on the trek by Matthew’s older sister, Vicky, 26, her partner, Warren Jones, 26, his younger sister, Becky, 20, his cousin, Sarah Phillips, 27, and her partner Charlie Twyman, 26.

Completing Team Hatton was Matt Segar, 24, who attended Oaken Grove Primary School and Easingwold School with Matthew.

Jill, a human resrources manager at North Yorkshire County Council, said: “We all suffered from some form of altitude sickness. For me it was horrible headaches and feeling dizzy. I also vomited a few times, and just generally felt dreadful.

“But we all had different symptoms – Vicky’s heart started racing, my niece just had no energy, Warren was hallucinating and Matt and Charlie actually keeled over once they got to the top.”

She said she was overwhelmed by how much money had been raised for Help for Heroes in Matthew’s memory.

She said: “It’s not something you know how to deal with, losing a son, and this has given not only us a focus, but also our family and friends, who didn’t know what to do to help us.

“We wanted to make a difference and this money will hopefully make a difference to some other soldier who has been seriously injured.”

Anyone who wants to sponsor Matthew’s friends and family can do so online by visiting justgiving.com/matthewhatton