Up at the O2 for a Mother’s Day Climb

Last Saturday, I was due to be in London to climb Up at the O2 with a group of wonderful ladies.  Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, I could not attend and had to pull out at the last minute.  Not a decision I took lightly as this was something that I had wanted to do for a long time and was really looking forward to.  Even though I couldn’t attend, I wanted to share still the story of those who climbed to the top and made it safely back down the other side.

There were to be 16 ladies in total on the day doing the climb (including me).  This awesome group was made up of Charity representatives, Mums, bloggers and, of course, the organisers.  The event had been organised to celebrate Motherhood in all its guises and charities, which helped make parenting and motherhood easier.

Meet the ladies

Bloggers

Kate and Sharon from LesBeMums write a blog sharing their journey as same-sex parents, from conception to parenting a toddler.

Holly from HollyBeingMum is a Mum to two small boys.  Holly shares useful meal-planning tips and recipes.  Let’s face it. We all need a bit of inspiration from time to time.

The Charities and Mums

Mummy’s Star is a charity that supports mothers who have been diagnosed with cancer through pregnancy and childbirth.  They elected three Mums to take part in the climb after benefitting from the services provided by them.  One Mum, Paula, fundraised an amazing £1,400 for participation in the climb. The money Paula raised will go towards supporting expectant Mums fighting cancer.

Little Village is a London-based charity working to eradicate maternal poverty in London by providing children with books and toys, clothing and equipment.

Finally, Mum’s Aid offer specialist counselling free of charge to Mums struggling with mental health.

Climbing the O2

The ladies arrived Up at the O2 ticket office, where they had to complete the health and safety forms and watch a short instructional video explaining what to expect on their climb, followed by a safety briefing from their climb instructor Sarah. Understandably, the ladies felt quite nervous as they awaited their climb, but Sarah quickly put them all at ease.

Once the ladies had been kitted out with their climbing suits, harnesses, and climbing shoes, it was time for Sarah to show how to use the climbing rig attached to their harnesses and clip themselves to the wire that runs over the building.

Reaching the Summit

As the ladies reached the summit, Sarah unclipped them from the wire so they were free to take in the stunning views of London, which spread out around them and snap away with their cameras.

What goes up, must come down

The ladies found the descent to be the most daunting part of the climb as this was the steepest part, and it appeared from a distance that the walkway dropped away, but naturally, the closer they came, the more they could see. They were down safely before they knew it to find a wonderful surprise waiting.

Mother’s Day Gift Bags

Experience Days, who were responsible for organising this special event, had pulled together a lovely gift bag of goodies for these very deserving Mums, which included items from Paperchase, Lee Stafford Hair, Bird & Blend & Wheesht Masks.

Experience Days decided that Mother’s Day would be the perfect opportunity to treat amazing women and mothers across the UK to a special gift as a gift voucher website. Experience Days have a partnership with Up At The O2, and from all the various experiences they offer online, they thought the climb would be a perfect adventure! Therefore, ED organised and funded the climb to treat a few deserving mothers and women to something really unique.  I am so sad that I had to pull out of the climb, but my Mum and I have already promised each other that we will be looking to do this as soon as life returns to normal following the current situation around the world.