Son Faces The Heights Of Mount Kilimanjaro To Honour Mum's Memory

Marcus Completes Gala, Prepares for Kilimanjaro Climb in 50 days

The late Lord Lieutenant of Antrim, Joan Christie CVO OBE, would have celebrated her 80th birthday this summer, and to honour her memory, son Marcus brought together almost 200 of her friends, family and the community in a glittering gala ball held in the Royal Court Hotel in Portrush, which has raised £10,000 for local charity, Air Ambulance NI.

Since his mother's passing, Marcus has become a dedicated supporter of Air Ambulance NI. In just 90 days, he will embark on a new challenge: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, standing at 5,895 meters. The climb, set for October, is expected to take six days.

Marcus commented, “Fundraising for Air Ambulance NI is important for me to keep mum’s memory alive and if I can help a future patient it is all worthwhile. Last summer I did the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales in just over 21 hours, and the gala was an opportunity to bring family and friends together. Everyone has been fantastic in sponsoring, donating prizes and making donations, I’m very grateful. For Kilimanjaro I’ll certainly be pushing the limits physically and mentally, but I’m focusing on the sense of achievement at the top.”

Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising at Air Ambulance NI said, “Kilimanjaro is one of the most challenging charity treks at altitude; but Marcus’ is very determined, when he decides to take something on he doesn’t do it by halves! Last year he raised over £20,000 from the three peaks and the recent gala has been another huge success, we are all confident he will reach the summit. We wish him every success for the training over the next 50 days and encourage support through his JustGiving Page https://www.justgiving.com/page/marcus-christie-1723822056621

Joan passed away in an accident on New Year’s Day 2023 and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team were tasked to the incident. Marcus has since visited the airbase and met the pilot who flew the team to his mum that day, commenting, “It was very meaningful to meet Clive and he had very kind words about mum which means a lot.”

Air Ambulance NI is the charity that works with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to provide the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service for the province. The service is needed on average twice every day to those who are critically ill or injured and relies on the public to help raise £2.5m in fundraising every year. More information can be found at www.airambulanceni.org