Northampton teenager 'climbs' Kilimanjaro on her stairs to help impoverished families of Cape Verde

A Northampton teenager is taking a hard-earned rest this week after 'climbing' Mt Kilimanjaro on her stairs for charity.

On Sunday (May 31), Upton 14-year-old Cassidy Flynn finished the last leg of her self-imposed challenge to scale the height of the Tanzanian mountain in her own home.

To conquer the 19,000 ft challenge, the 14-year-old paced up her family staircase 332 times a day for seven days in a row.

Cassidy told the Chronicle & Echo: "I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was. I thought the first day was hard - but it only got harder as the week went on."

Cassidy took on the challenge to raise money for the impoverished communities of Cape Verde.

The island off the coast of Africa normally thrives in the summer, but under the Coronavirus crisis has lost all its tourism and has led to extreme poverty for the families living there.

Cassidy said: "We went there last year and it was so beautiful. The people are so friendly and happy.

"But this year many people are struggling to eat. I read about it on a community Facebook group. It was very upsetting.

"When I was doing the challenge I just thought about where the money was going."

Now, Cassidy has smashed her original JustGiving target of £250 and has raised almost £600 for the families of Cape Verde.

A charity effort on the island has been set up and £10 will feed a family of up to four people for a week - meaning Cassidy's efforts will help feed up to 60 families.

Mum Joanne said: "I'm so proud of her. I know I couldn't do it. It was fun watching her go and to egg her on during the day."

For more information, visit Cassidy's JustGiving page.