With Croydon Council in recess, Addiscombe councillor Mark Watson is off on his latest charity trek.
Councillor Watson: ready for the long haul
This latest vertiginous effort will take him to north Africa’s highest peak, the 13,671ft Jebeel Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
Watson is raising money to help end exploitation in tourism and to support a local community project sustained by tourism – the Education for All project, which provides schooling for girls in the area, and which Watson and his fellow climbers will be visiting. Few girls from remote, rural communities in the high Atlas Mountains get the chance to continue their education after primary school.
To help tackle this, Education for All has constructed the first girls’ boarding house for 24 girls, which was opened in 2008.
“It is important in international development for women to have the opportunity to be educated,” Watson said.
Every penny raised will go to charity – Watson is paying for the trip himself and to reduce the environmental impact of the trip he will be taking the train from London to Marrakesh, using a fraction of the fuel that a flight would consume – although it does take three days to reach his destination overland.
Watson, who was recently appointed as the chair of Croydon Central constituency Labour party, will be aiming not to be too fatigued from his travels as he will return to run the extended four-month selection process from an all-women shortlist for Labour’s parliamentary candidate to challenge Conservative incumbent Gavin Barwell.
Donations for Watson’s charity causes can be made here:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/markwatson
http://www.justgiving.com/cllrmarkwatson
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