Grant Budge is an Imperial graduate from the vintage year of 1993, passing out with a Masters in Mining Engineering from the RSM.  Since then he has worked in a number industry sectors including mining and steel, but today Grant is Project Director for Powerfuel Power’s clean coal power station project in South Yorkshire.  The project is one of six European Carbon Capture and Storage demonstration projects awarded European funding in 2009 under the European Energy Package for Recovery.  The project is a ‘pre-combustion capture’ project and the only one in Europe looking to deploy this kind of technology.    

Not content with the trials and tribulations of leading what is considered to be the largest CCS demonstration project on the world, Grant has now signed up to ascend one of the largest volcanoes in the world. 

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely a massive challenge and even more so if you are not following in the footsteps Fearn Cotton, Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl C ole, Denise Van-Outen and Alisha Dixon.  While the success rate of summiting the highest volcano in the world is achieved by the majority who take it on.  It becomes evident from talking through the experience of those same individuals, that the jury is hung, on whether it is pleasurable one.   

This year, the national charity for sick children Wellchild has set its sights on taking the mountain to task and has secured the support of an Imperial man to do it on the charities behalf.  Grant Budge has no experience in climbing mountains.  At best, the local hills have been ascended once a weekend.  So to add a further five thousand, eight hundred metres to that ascent is quite a step up and Grant is taking seriously. 

Training began in earnest in March and by all accounts is going well.  Grant is new to the mountain climbing adventure, but is appreciative of the pain ahead, having completed two London Marathon’s on behalf of Wellchild previously. 

The expedition will set out at the end of this year, with the trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro and back down taking seven days and covering over 70 kilometres.  While the distance may not seem that challenging, it will be coping with the affects of altitude sickness above the 4,000 metre mark that elevates the challenge classification to ‘severe’.  Grant says it is a very worthwhile cause though. 

WellChild is a fantastic charity, patroned by Prince Harry, that aims to improve the lives of seriously ill children and their families throughout the UK.  It focuses on delivering care and support to children and their families who are in need, as well as research to improve treatments, immunisations, programmes and surgical techniques.

Grant is endeavouring to raise £6,000 in sponsorship has set up a ‘justgiving’ web pages for that purpose, which he says you are welcome to provide any level of support you wish on. www.justgiving.com/Grant-Budge.