Middleton man raises thousands for charity with epic Atlas Mountains climb

A 50-year-old man has climbed Mount Toubkal in Morocco to raise much-needed funds for Barnardo’s.

Steve Bibby, from Middleton, raised over £3,200 by climbing the African mountain last month, alongside his colleagues from the Co-op.

Steve signed up for the Mount Toubkal challenge in April 2023 with a fundraising target of £1,500 and despite being initially “daunted”, soon smashed through his target with a final total of £3,288.

In May 2023, Co-op and Barnardo’s research found that only 62% of young people feel positive about their future. The two organisations are now working in partnership to raise £5 million, which will help support the positive futures of young people across the UK.

Steve, who works as a Portfolio Test Manager for the Co-op, was alerted to the opportunity to trek Mount Toubkal in support of the partnership.

“I’ve worked at Co-op for a long time so I know they’re committed to making a difference, and I’ve always had a lot of respect for Barnardo’s,” said Steve. “My parents fostered children and young people after my siblings and I moved out, so I saw the difference that Barnardo’s makes to children in difficult situations.”

Steve would feel the impact of children’s support services even closer to home after the birth of his daughter, Frankie, who is now nine years old. 

“My daughter is autistic and has cerebral palsy so she needs a lot of support,” said Steve. “As she got older, she started to struggle more with her mental health.

We started taking her to a few Barnardo’s clubs, which helped enormously. The services gave her the confidence to just be who she is – to find herself.”

He said: “Everybody just wanted to help us. Barnardo’s is so highly regarded in Manchester, and people just couldn’t do enough for us.”

Steve departed for Morocco with a group of 19 other colleagues from Co-op, and the 4,167m climb began.

Although Steve had physically prepared for the challenge, working with a personal trainer at the gym and doing training walks in the Peak District, nothing could prepare him for the altitude.

 

 

“It was an enormous challenge,” remembers Steve. “Every time we’d stop, which was often to let people catch up, it was hard to get going again – lack of oxygen meant your body just couldn’t get blood to your brain and your feet at the same time.

“There were points where I wasn’t sure it would be safe to go on, but remembering why I was doing it kept me going. The team was amazing as well – we all rallied together and supported each other.”

Reaching the peak was a moment of “huge celebration”, recalled Steve, along with an enormous “emotional release.”

“There wasn’t a dry eye among us,” said Steve. “I tried to record a message to my wife and daughter, to thank them for all their support in making this possible, but I was a blubbering mess. Standing there above the clouds was the most phenomenal feeling. I would recommend it to anyone.”

Louise Meadows, senior relationship manager for the Co-op partnership at Barnardo’s, said: “We are deeply grateful to Steve for his extraordinary fundraising efforts, which will help us support more children and young people across the UK.

David Luckin, head of community partnerships, funding and impact from the Co-op, said: “We’ve partnered with Barnardo’s to raise £5m to support 750,000 young people in communities across the UK, working with young people to identify the problems they face and co-create solutions.

"None of that would be possible without our incredible Co-op colleagues hosting fundraising events, taking part in epic challenges like Steve who trekked Mount Toubkal, or our colleagues, members and customers making donations to the partnership – helping us raise £2.5m so far, halfway to our target.”

Steve has now signed up to take on The Great North Run – 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields, despite never having taken part in a race or “run this kind of distance” before.

He hopes the money raised through this and the Mount Toubkal trek will continue to support the positive futures of children and young people around the UK. 

“What happens to you when you’re young has a lifelong impact,” said Steve. “The pressures that are on children these days are enormous.

"From living through Covid, to endless social media – it's so much. It’s a very different world than the one I grew up in. But I’ve seen the impact that Barnardo’s support can have, so I’m proud to step out of my comfort zone once again to support our partnership and the great work it is doing.”

To donate, access support, or to learn more about the partnership, visit: www.coop.co.uk/SupportYoungPeople