A MANAGING director of a Flintshire port is to climb Africa's highest mountain with a sink on his back for a local hospice.

The astonishing feat is to be undertaken by Jim O'Toole, managing director of the Port of Mostyn, in aid of St Kentigern Hospice in St Asaph, of which he is chairman of.

This month, Jim, a former High Sheriff of Clwyd, will hike the 10 days it takes to reach the 5,895 meter summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya.

It is a feat that is an extremely difficult one at the best at times, but Jim will take it a step further by making the climb with a 1.3 meter kitchen sink strapped to his back.

The reason being that St Kentigern Hospice is currently carrying out an extensive refurbishment and extension programme of the existing facilities together with the construction of a further four bedrooms for palliative care of cancer patients.

The new facilities will include an extended and modernised kitchen, for which Jim will undertake this hike to help raise the necessary funds.

He took over the voluntary role of chairman at the hospice in 2017 and knows only too well the pressing need to redevelop and extend the hospice.

Jim said: “St Kentigern is currently investing to ensure that the facilities at the hospice are modernised and extended to meet the increasing palliative care needs of the local community. The new kitchen facilities will be at the centre of the Hospice providing meals for patients and visitors and also to service the new community café.

The equipment Jim needs to undertake the hike has been supplied by outdoor adventure clothing business Brenig, based in Greenfield.

"I’m very much looking forward to the challenge and hopeful that carrying the kitchen sink to the summit will capture the public’s imagination and increase their awareness of the importance of the financial support that will be needed by St Kentigern Hospice well into the future."

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain and also the world’s highest free-standing mountain.

Located in Tanzania, it’s a dormant volcano with three volcanic cones. The summit rises to 5,895 metres (19,995 feet) above sea level.

Jim will be paying all his expenses for the climb, of which he departs for on June 15, so that all money raised will go to the hospice.

Jim's JustGiving page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jim-otoole?fbclid=IwAR0m6Ttdz9Vt-Y7tTE62204ECeGPVPApMLdC9f6-gZXggOnwj-njcyc3lwg