Eden Fitton Hill

Christmas food parcels

Christmas was a busy time for the Eden Oldham team; seen here are food donations, stacked high, for Christmas hampers. Kelly and Ruth in the picture spent the day packaging up and delivering to 54 local households who needed a boost in the run up to Christmas.  This was all made possible thanks to donations worth £1500 from our partner church The Salvation Army and £750 from the Message Trust.

One grateful recipient touched by the actions of practical strangers, said,”I never expected anyone to show they cared in such a practical way!”

Lighthouse Project - Christmas Dinner

The ‘Lighthouse Project’ run by the Salvation Army, provides a regular drop-in service to drug addicts and homeless people.  The Eden team provide volunteer help and support to the project and pictured here are two local girls Emily and Andy who provided extra help with the Christmas dinner.  They managed to serve 30 maginificent meals that day and guests were able to take away additional food and a gift bag.

If you think you can help with our ongoing activities please contact us

Well here I am at Base Camp, thanks to all the people who have donated and supported me, I had a great time despite the severe altitude sickness.

Check out the captions on the images by hovering over them!

Day 1 (Sat 1 Oct): London – Kathmandu
Depart London on an overnight flight to Kathmandu.

Day 2 (Sun 2 Oct): Kathmandu (1400m)
Arrive in Kathmandu and check into our city hotel in time for dinner and a briefing on the week ahead from our Sherpa guide. The historic capital of Nepal, Kathmandu has long captured the imagination of travellers worldwide. It is a living museum, with a unique experience around each corner! Literally hundreds of Hindu temples sit alongside Buddhist stupas and Tibetan monasteries, with their evocative prayer flags flapping in the breeze.

Day 3 (Mon 3 Oct): Kathmandu
Enjoy a guided day of sightseeing around Kathmandu. (BLD)

Day 4 (Tue 4 Oct): Kathmandu – Lukla – Phakding (2656m) 3-4 hours
Fly with our guide to Lukla this morning, landing on a steep mountain runway which sets the scene for our forthcoming trek! We will meet our assistant guide and our porters. We then head up the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail and then stay overnight in a lodge in Phakding. (BLD)

Day 5 (Wed 5 Oct): Phakding – Namche (3450m) 6-7 hours
From Phakding, we cross and re-cross the river on a series of high suspension bridges. Beyond Monjo is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park, set-up in order to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment. We then take a steep hike to Namche where, if the weather is clear, we catch our first glimpse of Mt Everest. Namche is the main trading village in the Khumbu and has a busy Saturday market – a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)
Day 6 (Thu 6 Oct): Namche (acclimatisation day)
A day at rest to acclimatise to the altitude before continuing to trek higher. Perhaps visit Khunde Hospital, set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary, or take a gentle one hour walk up to the Everest View Hotel above Namche for the sunset view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)
Day 7 (Fri 7 Oct): Namche – Tengboche (3867m) 5-6 hours From Namche, the trail contours on to the side of the valley, high above the Dudh Kosi where we get our first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, we then descend steeply to a bridge over the river at Phunki Tenga. The village is an ideal stopover for lunch and a rest before making the steep climb to Tengboche.
Although the hike up the zigzag path is tiring, you’ll enjoy the beautiful sight of rhododendron bushes with beautiful birds and superb mountain scenery.
Tengboche is famous for its legendary monastery, the largest in the Khumbu.
Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 8 (Sat 8 Oct): Tengboche – Pheriche (4252m) 6-7 hours
We descend downhill through a forest, cross the Imja Khola and
climb steadily to the village of Pangboche. This village is directly
opposite Ama Dablam [6,856 m], and has exceptional views of the
mountain, with the gompa, mani walls and scattered pine trees in
the foreground. A further two hours walk brings us to Pheriche.
Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 9 (Sun 9 Oct): Pheriche (acclimatisation day)
Another day for rest and acclimatization. Perhaps wander up the valley to look at the Tshola Tsho Lake and the perpendicular walls of Cholatse and Tawache. You could also climb up onto the ridge overlooking Dingboche for a view of the Imja Valley and the incredible south face of Mt.Lhotse. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 10 (Mon 10 Oct): Pheriche – Lobuche (4930m) 5-6 hours
We continue up the wide valley beneath the impressive peaks of Cholatse and Tawache on the left, and then turn right and take a steep climb towards the foot of the Khumbu Glacier. The tea house at Duglha is a good spot to have lunch. The trail then zigzags up through the boulders of the glacier’s terminal moraine. The path then climbs gently along the glacier, to eventually reach the cluster of houses at Lobuche. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 11 (Tue 11 Oct): Lobuche – Gorak Shep (5184m) 6-7 hours
To reach our next stop, Kala Pattar, we follow the Khumbu Glacier. The trail offers superb views of the surrounding mountains, especially where the path is forced to rise to cross a tributary glacier. We make our way to the top of one of the finest viewpoints in the Everest region, Kala Pattar [5554m]. As the light begins to fade we stroll back to our base at Gorak Shep and have an early night in preparation for our trek to Everest Base Camp the following day. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 12 (Wed 12 Oct): Trek to Everest Base Camp (5357m) 7-8 hours
A very early start is required to reach the Everest Base Camp. It takes several hours as the trail weaves its way through ice pinnacles and past the crevasses of the Khumbu Glacier. On the return leg, we can take a higher route to get a spectacular view of the Khumbu ice-fall and the route to the South Col. We return to either Gorak Shep or Lobuche, depending on timings. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 13 (Thu 13 Oct): Trek to Pangboche (3985m) 6-7 hours
Today’s trek is mostly downhill. As we retrace our steps to Duglha and descend to Pheriche, we arrive at The Himalayan Rescue Association, a trekker’s aid post and worth a visit. After lunch we cross the Khumbu Khola on a wooden suspension bridge and follow the Imja Khola to the village of Pangboche. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)
Day 14 (Fri 14 Oct): Pangboche – Namche (3450m) 6-7 hours
We continue to follow the river and, after crossing it, climb back up through birch and rhododendron forest to Tengboche. Kwangde, Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Kantega and Thamserku are just a few of the Himalayan giants to be seen. From Tengboche we descend to the bridge over the Dudh Kosi. At Phunki Tenga, see the water driven prayer wheels, before making our way back to Namche. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)

Day 15 (Sat 15 Oct): Namche – Lukla (2800m) 6-7 hours
Our final day’s trekking follows the Dudh Kosi down to Lukla. Overnight at a lodge. (BLD)
Day 16 (Sun 16 Oct): Lukla – Kathmandu
Pack up early and head for the airstrip for the flight back to Kathmandu. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight at a hotel. (BLD)

Day 17 (Mon 17 Oct): Depart Kathmandu
Transfer to the airport for the flight home. (B)

Chris Neilson, the project manager will be leaving for Katmandu on Saturday, to take on the challenge of climbing to Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 18000 feet. This is over 2000feet higher than Mount Blanc and the temperature this week dropped to a chilling 28 below zero .
Chris Has been training for this for some time and is prepared for the challenge, keep logging on and Chris will try to keep people updated on his progress.
Although he expects to have a great time on this trek he is part of a team From the UK Salvation Army who are trying to raise funds for local Salvation Army Projects. You can sponsor Chris at www.justgiving.com/chrisateverest or follow the link from this website.
Please think of Chris over the next couple of weeks, we all hope and pray he makes the challenge and returns home safe.

Last Friday we celebrated the end of the Anew Aspiration project. The young people explained how their perceptions, aspirations and future actions have been transformed by this experience. They talked about their experiences, shared pictures and even performed a traditional Dance to an audience of parents and organisations who had funded the project.
Young people from deprived communities don’t often achieve as much as they could even if they are bright. Anew aspiration project is changing this. The Eden project has linked with Hulme Grammer, who gave free tuition to a select group of Fitton Hill young people. This group is also being mentored and challenged to think higher and wider than they have ever done before. They were joined by a group from Hulme who are volunteering locally and learning about how they can make a difference for social justice.
These groups joined together to raise funds for a life changing trip to the jungle of Ecuador where they helped with a community environmental project and spent time with a local community.
Many of the young people spoke about their determination to achieve and pass on the benefit of their experience to others. They spoke about the trip, but also about what they had learned through volunteering helping in local primary schools and old peoples homes. They are confident that, not only can they be successful in their future but how important it is to pass on the benefit to others.

Laura Neilson, a volunteer and Leader from the church, won the Enterprise Award at The Message Trust Urban Hero’s award this month.

This is in recognition of her contribution in setting up a Health care company which runs the GP service in our community. Laura, in addition, to running this company, is a final year medical student. She had seen problems with local health care and passionately campaigned with others to see that change. When a proposal to introduce a new ‘contracted out’ service was announced by the PCT, Laura quickly rose to the challenge. She wanted to see a health care company which cared for the community like she did and could challenge some of the problems she had seen whilst living locally for six years.

Laura gathered a number of good people around her and together they formed Hope Citadel Healthcare, which now runs four health center contracts across Greater Manchester. Her Faith has inspired her to set the company up as a community interest company, which is ‘not for profit’. They have already started putting their profits back into the community and other aid projects. She dreams of the company which makes health care more equitable, giving the first class care to people and communities who most need it.

Although Hope Citadel is an amazing story, we don’t want it to just be a story. There are many challenges ahead and many people and communities to serve, this is made even harder with the difficult economic times, so for those who pray, we would ask you to join us in praying for the company. For the directors, staff and communities, pray for success, inspiration, protection and wisdom. Many people are blessed by this company each day, may this continue and increase.

Finally credit must go to many of the amazing staff and directors who have made this happen, many of them also deserve an award, many of them are also Hero’s!!!

The Eden Office

Our new website will provide you with details of our activities and give you an idea who we are.  The ‘Wall’ page gives you the opportunity to provide some feedback and for us to keep keep things fresh!

Please feel free to comment either on things you’ve seen here or about our community programmes!