Plucky Anthony Maynard cannot wait to get his walking boots on and trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The 66-year-old father and grandfather took up the fundraising challenge, set by The Anthony Nolan Trust, after reading an appeal in the Guardian.

But it is not the first time he has shown his sense of adventure. Parachute jumps, water skiing and snorkelling are just some of the activities Anthony enjoys.

"I like the adrenaline rush," he said, "it shows me I'm still alive."

Anthony, of Long Lane, Croydon, has just retired after working in Alders for 38 years.

He says the Mount Kilimanjaro challenge in January is one he "really fancies."

"I've always been fit and enjoy active hobbies and I'm really up for this," said Anthony, who at the age of

60 did a parachute jump off a 7,000ft mountain in Turkey. "My family know exactly what I am like. My wife takes it all in her stride," he added.

Snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro lies three degrees south

of the equator, and at 5,895 metres tall is the highest mountain in Africa, and one of the largest free standing mountains in the world.

Anthony plans to start training for the challenge later in the year, walking between 12 and 15 miles on a regular basis.

To support Anthony, call him on 020 8406 3753.

If you would like to join him on this challenge and help raise money for people with leukaemia and other related diseases, or for information about how to become a donor, contact Andrew Bates, the trust's local area manager, on 01483 726747.

Further information is also available on the charity

website www.anthonynolan.

org.uk, or by calling the trust's hotline on 0901 88 22 234.