From ‘rock bottom’ to the top of North Africa

AFTER overcoming the depths of Domestic abuse, award winning mumpreneur and founder of WISH Women, Lottie Moore, will be leading a group of eight women 4160m up Jbel Toubkal in Morocco, the highest point in North Africa and, fittingly, will be summiting on International Women’s Day, on March 8.  Lottie is hoping to raise £1500 for the charities, Giving Africa and Limb Power.

Lottie takes up the rear during her last organised charity trek to Kilimanjaro

In October 1999 Lottie was expecting her first child and with only four more months to go, she was looking forward to the day that her daughter would be born. Instead she received 17 months of physical, emotional and psychological abuse from her partner at the time, living in fear of what might happen to her and her new-born child.

“When my ex-partner was finally arrested in 2001, I thought it marked the end of an horrific journey, but in fact it was the beginning of a new, and just as debilitating time of my life, which went on for over six years,” recalled Lottie.

By 2008, after years in and out of court fighting over her ex-partner’s relationship with their daughter, Lottie decided it was time to change her life and she and her daughter moved to Burkina Faso in West Africa for most of 2010. “When I left for Africa I had nothing in my mind more than escaping the life I was living, but it resulted in an experience beyond all expectations that nourished my soul, fueled my self-belief and filled me with a renewed desire to live a life of purpose and passion,” added Lottie.

“The six-night women’s trip climbing Toubkal will be a huge challenge but it will encourage us to look beyond our believed limitations, step out of our comfort zone and shine, and it is no coincidence that we will be summiting on International Women’s Day.”

Although she has previously project-managed a climb on Mount Kilimanjaro for Giving Africa in 2011, Lottie feels that the main challenge has been the organisational side of the trek . But she expects that the group as a whole will be mostly challenged by fatigue, with the last day comprising of a gruelling 13 hours of walking. “The altitude slows you down and makes your head groggy,” explained Lottie, “and the temperature at the moment is -12c with a chill factor of -24c at the summit. Emotionally it’s a huge challenge to keep pushing yourself beyond your boundaries. None of us has a huge amount of experience as walkers and we are all of regular fitness. I predict we will be getting through a lot of Kleenex with all the tears at the summit!”

As an abuse survivor Lottie hoped that her story would help inspire women to start living their lives with renewed positivity, passion and purpose and so she set up WISH Women which provides a space where all women can come together to recognise their unique qualities and strengths, to encourage, equip, support and inspire.

Formerly a social worker and then a healthcare assistant, Lottie is now a much-in-demand women’s coach and professional speaker.  Having previously run the marathon and Lived Below the Line for five days, Lottie continues to challenge herself and to inspire others by taking on learning to be a fire walking instructor during the summer. Every year she gives 10% of her income to charity and she has just written a book –  Why Not You? Why Not Now? She plans to organise a different trek every year.

You can find out more about WISH Women by visiting the website:  www.wishwomen.org.uk