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Headline: GB Olympic Gold Medallist Highlights Work Of Female Porters on Mount Kilimanjaro

Caption: MANDATORY CREDIT: Olly Pemberton/Exodus/Cover Images .... In a week when celebrities were seen braving the trek up Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, UK Olympic Gold medallist Crista Cullen has highlighted the gruelling work of female porters on Mount Kilimanjaro by joining them in their work. Ten years ago Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon and eight other celebrities conquered Kilimanjaro. Last night (on 13 Mar), the BBC aired the 10th anniversary programme where ten more well-known and not so well known faces tried to emulate their peers. Even the patently struggling and admirable Ed Balls made it to the top and they all lost kilos and found friends and their souls on this brutal mountain. They also raised a phenomenal amount of money. Ten years ago there were no female porters on the mountain but this is slowly changing. Jim Eite, a man with fifty successful climbs to his name was instrumental in organising the first Red Nose trek ten years ago. He and his company Exodus (NB: please include hyperlink: www.exodus.co.uk) were determined to do something about this imbalance. "Tanzania is the sixth poorest country in the world, employment on the mountain has always been a man’s world, we are succeeding in doing something about this." Enter Crista Cullen. You would think winning Olympic hockey gold for GB in 2016 was enough for one lifetime, but she has gone several steps further in terms of endurance by climbing Kilimanjaro as a porter …. With a five kilo bag on her back and 20 kilos on her head! Each year thousands of climbers from the UK try to tame this beast. What unites every trekker is their ardent admiration for the indefatigable porters. These Trojan Tanzanians not only have to make camp every evening well ahead of their paying clients, they have to trek with 25 kilos on their back. Year round. The girls choose to carry the majority of this weight …. On their heads! "Defending against countless Dutch attackers in a hockey medal match was nothing compared to this," said the remarkable Kenyan-born Olympian. She was determined to show that this alpine environment is a man’s world no more. "The porters play such an intricate role in helping people along their journey. Women have come a long way, as ten years ago they struggled to be accepted, now there is a family environment. I had to show some of the skills and resilience that these women demonstrate every day of their lives. I didn’t know what I had let myself in for, as it was absolutely relentless but the pride I felt at the end was amazingly special." Now 18% of the porters are female, Crista, Jim and his team will not rest till there is equality on this fabled climb as there should be on every mountain in the world. Needless to say, like the celebrities, Crista made it to the top, but the hard way. Film-maker Olly Pemberton has created an incredible video charting Crista's challenge as she swaps the podium for the summit. Trailer available: info@cover-images.com

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PersonInImage: Crista Cullen