John Hamnett, director of A1 Flue Systems is making final preparations for a charity trek of a lifetime to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro – by running up to 60-mile marathons.

He flies out to Africa on 20 February for the ten-day trek to the summit of the highest free-standing mountain in the world in a bid to raise £5,000 for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity in Sheffield, as this is a charity that is dear to his and the company’s hearts.

Mr Hamnett is currently running more than 50 miles per week in preparation for the challenge and recently completed the 30-mile Hardmoors marathon on New Year’s Day. Since last summer, he has also run one 60-mile, one 40-mile and three standard distance (26.2 mile) Hardmoors marathons.

It will take John and the rest of the ten-strong team five days to reach the summit of the mountain, which is more than 19,300 ft. high. It is the equivalent of 19 times the height of The Shard in London, which is one of the company’s flagship projects, where it installed nearly 800 metres of chimney to support the skyscraper’s heating and hot water systems.

John signed up for the trek 12 months ago and said it’s been his lifelong ambition to climb Kilimanjaro.

He said: “It will be a massive test but one I’m much looking forward to because there is an opportunity to raise a lot of money for a very good cause, as Weston Park is one of only four dedicated cancer hospitals in England. A1 Flue Systems has had personal experience of the support the charity offers, and this is spurring me on to raise as much money as possible.”

When he reaches the top, John plans to unfurl a flag he has specially made with the company logo on it, which also symbolises the overseas growth of the business that employs more than 130 people. A1 Flue Systems is seeing a big rise in exports, meaning the flue systems it makes in New Ollerton are being installed in buildings around the world.

For more information about John’s trek, visit his Virgin Money Giving page.