Sainsbury’s shoppers support deafblind charity Sense

Charity bag-packers at Sainsbury’s brought in more than £600 for an organisation which helps deaf and blind people.

And one of the packers was aiming even higher. Lydia Maskery has flown out to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro for the charity, Sense.

The 26-year-old from Dewsbury is the only one from West Yorkshire in the Sense group tackling the six-day trek to the peak of Africa’s highest mountain.

And she has been helped meet the cost of the journey through friends and family such as her aunt, Gillian Hayes, who also took part in the bag-pack.

Lydia, who works for Sense at its Wakefield centre, said she has been training hard for the challenge. “I am generally quite active, but nothing can really prepare you for the effects of altitude,” she said. “This is the biggest peak I have ever tackled and I am terrified.”

The bag-packers were raising money to provide holidays for deaf blind people. Lydia said: “We enjoyed helping customers pack up their shopping and thank Sainsbury’s for helping us to raise awareness of the Sense charity. Customers were really generous.”