A STUDENT from Portland is setting his sights on the summit of Africa.

Samuel Duff, who is in his first year studying environmental science at Portsmouth University, is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in September for charity.

The former Thomas Hardye School pupil will be taking on the 5,895m peak in Tanzania to raise funds for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Samuel, who will be joined by around 40 other students, had only just arrived at university when he signed up for the climb and now finds himself busy fundraising to collect as much as possible for his chosen cause.

He said the climb ‘seemed like a fun challenge’ but admitted he had never done anything like it before.

Samuel, 18, said: “I have never attempted anything on such a grand scale before.

“I climbed Sugar Loaf ‘Mountain’ in Wales as a young child with my parents but have done little since.

“I am usually more at home on my bicycle rather than my feet.”

Samuel added that one of the main reasons he decided to get involved in the climb was to raise funds for a cause he cared about.

He said: “Part of my reason for signing up for the climb was the charity that was being supported.

“At my secondary school I was friends with a boy who had lost his brother as a baby to meningitis, so the cause seemed a good one to me.”

You can support Samuel by donating online at virginmoneygiving.com/SamuelDuff

He said: “Any money raised will be going to a worthy cause and any amount donated will be much appreciated.”