Two sisters from Launceston and Callington will take on Mount Kilimanjaro for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Niamh and Freya Eldred have decided to take on the challenge later this summer.

In August, the pair will be travelling to Tanzania with the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro in aid of the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Niamh, 24, is currently studying for her BSc in Biomedical Science at Plymouth University, however, when she joined the RAG (Raise and Give) society – a group for students to organise charitable fundraisers and events – she was introduced to the prospect of completing the challenge for charity, and from that moment, Niamh and Freya bit the bullet and decided “if we were going to do it, we’d do it properly and aim for the toughest one.”

Despite deciding to tackle this monstrous challenge, this isn’t the first climb for the sisters.

“We are both quite active and have done a lot of walking, including climbing Ben Nevis and other mountains in Scotland when we were younger,” Niamh explained. “However, this will be a much bigger challenge, it’s such a huge mountain and tackling the altitude. We are both very determined though and very excited for the challenge.”

This excitement is something which is really pushing the pair: “We are both hugely excited with a healthy dose of reality as to how difficult this challenge is going to be.

“We are very grateful to have the opportunity and especially as we are able to do it together we’ll be able to support each other.

“It will be incredible to experience. It is made even better that we can make a difference with fundraising while we do it.”

The difficulty of the challenge is also encouraging Niamh and Freya’s preparations, as they build up strength in the gym and build endurance with walks on Dartmoor.

Now that Niamh has finished with the university semester, the sisters and their dog will be getting even more active. Niamh also explained why this charity fundraiser was of particular interest.

She said: “I find it terrifying that this condition is killing and severely disabling so many people globally. There are so many amazing charities that could have been chosen but meningitis doesn’t discriminate and anyone could be affected.”

Niamh and Freya’s climb will take place on August 27, how to donate can be found on their JustGiving Page: shorturl.at/elw49