Bereaved mum raises over £13k with Kilimanjaro climb

A bereaved mum has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise over £13,000 for the charity which helped her after the death of her two-year-old son.

Harley Cunningham, from Woking, turned to Cruse Bereavement Support after her son James died from bronchial pneumonia in 2021.

The 42-year-old said she needed to take part in the challenge in Tanzania after "such a hard" few years.

"When I got to the top, I cried because the sun came up," she said. "You push yourself to something you never thought you'd be capable of."

While Harley was "quietly confident" as a fit weight-lifter, she said the endurance needed to climb the 5,895m (19,341 ft) mountain was "another level".

The mum-of-three said on the fifth and final day the focus was purely on putting "one foot in front of the other".

"If I was to sum it up, I'd say endurance, gratitude and belonging are the words I would use," she said.

This year marks the fifth anniversary since James died.

Harley said she struggled to "accept what had happened" but now lived "a different life" without her son, who would now be seven.

She said she was kept busy by James' twin, Edward, and her three-year-old son, John.

Harley said she still used the services of Cruse Bereavement Support, and had become a volunteer herself.

"It is really good to have somebody that is there for me, one hour a week," she added.

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