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Sega trio seek sponsorship for Kilimanjaro charity climb

Help them to help.

Sega Europe's Tina Hicks, Caroline Searle and Lynn Daniel are set to embark on a six day trek up Mount Kilimanjaro next month to raise money for children's education charity ESC, and are actively seeking sponsorship for the climb.

It would probably be a walk in the park for Sonic the Hedgehog, but for the UK industry trio, ascending the slopes of Africa's highest mountain (19,710 feet, fact fans) will be a marathon endeavour, which kicks off on October 4th when they fly out to Tanzania.

The aim of the whole affair is to raise money for the Entertainment Software Charity, which is a videogames industry charity aimed at raising funds from across the industry for charities focused on children's education.

A third of the money raised will stay in the area around Kilimanjaro, where previous assistance from the ESC has helped to provide roofing and flooring for local schools, and a home for street children, including AIDS orphans.

The remainder will go to the rest of the ESC's projects - which have previously included large donations to help pay for food, clothing and medical care for Sri Lankan children orphaned by the tsunami, and to help build the Paddington Academy, a new free school in a deprived area of London.

So what can you do to help out? The Sega trio have a target of GBP 15,000 to raise from their climb, and all sponsorship is of course welcome. So welcome, in fact, that the girls have donated a number of prizes, which will be handed to a lucky winner whose name is pulled from a hat containing the names of all their sponsors.

The prizes on offer are: a signed piece of artwork by Sonic creator Yuji Naka, a signed piece of artwork from Total War series creators Creative Assembly, and for ten other lucky winners, a Sega game of your choice.

All you need to do is take yourself along to the girls' charity site, TakinAges.com, where you can find out more about the trek - and click on the donation option on the right hand side (or just go directly to the donations page).

Mention "GamesIndustry.biz" in your message to the girls so we know you want to be in the draw, and sit back in the contented knowledge that you've helped the lives of disadvantaged children, put yourself in line for some tasty goodies, and subjected three of the industry's finest to a shudder-inducing trek up a mountain five times the height of Ben Nevis.

And back down again, of course. Getting up is arguably the easy bit, ladies...

Donate now.