A little piece of South Shields on top of Mount Kilimanjaro
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Steve Berry last month became one of just a few hundred people to have climbed the highest peaks on each of the world’s seven continents.
However, when he embarked on his final trek - climbing Antarctica’s Mount Vinson - he forgot to take his South Shields flag.
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The banner had been created by the Kodokwai Judo Club, based in Commercial Road, South Shields, where Steve, 61, is a black belt.
He finally got the chance to fly the flag - on top of Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa’s highest mountain at 5.895 metres above sea level and is the world’s highest ‘free standing’ mountain.
It’s not the first time Steve has scaled the mountain - this was his tenth time on the summit - after he had been commissioned as a guide by a group of walkers.
Steve, from Central Avenue, South Shields, said: “I was supposed to take the banner to Antarctica but I ended up forgetting to pack it.
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“So I decided to take it with me on my tenth trip to Kilimanjaro and wave it once I reached the top.
“I know the club will be delighted it’s finally ended up on the top of a mountain at long last. Better late than never.”
Steve will be in Uganda until the end of the month.
He’s currently looking at a water bore hole drilling project in Moyo Refugee Camp in Northern Uganda.
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When he finally gets back home, he will be returning to his judo classes aims to write his first book - ‘Adventure before Dementia: A Life with Altitude’
It will be based on his ‘Seven Summit Odyssey’.
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Hide AdThe project saw him conquer Mount Everest, in the Himalayas; Mount Kosciuszko, in Australia; Argentina’s Aconcagua; Mount Denali, in Alaska in Tanzania, Mount Elbrus, in Russia, and of course Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Vinson.