Meet the 12-year-old boy from Leeds preparing to climb Kilimanjaro - on his birthday

Turning 13 is a pretty special time as youngsters enter the first year of teenhood.

It’s an occasion that is usually marked with cake, candles, and plenty of celebration.

However, Leeds lad Jacob Newson is celebrating his 13th birthday in a very unusual fashion.

That’s because when he turns 13 on October 31, he will be at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest-free standing mountain in the world.

Jacob Newson and his dad Andrew will take on the eight day trek this autumn to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the Royal Air Force’s longest-standing charity.

For Jacob, climbing Kilimanjaro is a fitting way to show he has got what it takes to one day join the RAF.

“I’ve got a big dream to be a pilot in the RAF,” Jacob told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“I say in my head to keep going and going and going for it. You’ve got to be the best of the best because they only take people who they believe are worth it.”

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, which stands at 5,895 metres, is certainly going to be a tough challenge, however this doesn’t faze Jacob in the slightest.

In fact, the youngster is prepared after taking on a range of charitable adventures including climbing Mt. Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa.

He’s raised over £150,000 for the RAF Benevolent Fund and St Gemma’s Hospice, the charity which looked after his mother Andrea before she died in 2020.

For dad Andrew, fundraising challenges became a way for the pair to spend quality time together while grieving.

Now, they’ve grown and Jacob has even won a Pride of Britain award for his accomplishments.

Andrew said: “I’m incredibly proud of him and these barriers he’s broken”

“He’s got such resilience to persevere when we’ve been in some situations where the weather’s not been particularly great.

“He’s always been keen to carry on and get to where he needs to be, which I think is an amazing trait to have.”

The Kilimanjaro challenge will take place from October 22 to November 2 and Jacob and Andrew will be accompanied by Karen Borowski and Tom Walgate.

It’s a challenge that Jacob feels both nervous and excited for, and he’s been preparing throughout the summer holidays while trying to raise even more for charity.

It’ll be a slow walk to the top as the group acclimatise to the low oxygen levels high up the mountain.

But Jacob believes this will all be worth it for the view at the peak.

Jacob said: “At the start it looks pretty muddy but as you get higher and higher it looks pretty calm and nice.

“When you get to the top, it just takes your breath away.”

A fond memory for the Newsons is when Andrew and Andrea visited an RAF Air Show in 2013, and Andrea, who was pregnant with Jacob at the time, remembered him kicking in her stomach just as an Avro Vulcan Bomber flew past.

It’s at that moment they knew Jacob was destined to become a pilot.

Over the years, the RAF have greatly supported the Newson family and by taking on extreme challenges for the RAF Benevolent Fund, Jacob and Andrew’s ultimate hope is to give back.

Andrew said: “The RAF have invited [Jacob] to various bases over the last seven years and their kindness and hospitality has really afforded Jacob some amazing opportunities.”

“This is our way of saying thank you.”

To support Jacob’s Kilimanjaro challenge, donate to his online JustGiving page.