Bonita Norris, Aged 22, Attempts to Become the Youngest British Female to Reach the Summit of Mount Everest

Monday, March 08, 2010

Support Bonita by topping-up your mobile phone at ATMs across the country

London, 8 March 2010, Twenty two year-old Berkshire woman, Bonita Norris, is attempting to become the youngest British female to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point of the Earth's crust, this spring in aid of children's charity Global Angels.

Bonita will be looking to climb Mount Everest's towering 8,848 meters during May 2010 when conditions are at their best. To complete her climb, Bonita will be putting herself at risk from the dangers of extreme altitude, frostbite, hypothermia, snow-blindness, and will most likely require bottled oxygen.

Bonita demonstrated her dedication and ability to overcome the odds by becoming the youngest female to climb Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, just four months ago. As one of the most challenging terrains in the world, Mount Manaslu was a perfect warm-up for her Mount Everest challenge.

"One morning in 2008 I woke up with an idea, the type you dismiss as a pipe dream. The kind you feel embarrassed to have even considered. The idea was to climb Everest in its spring season of 2010, and raise lots of cash for charity along the way," says Bonita. "It seems crazy looking back, but with a little determination, I have been on the most incredible journey. My message to anyone considering an adventure - no matter how big or small - is never, ever stop believing in yourself. You never know where you might end up."

Bonita will be climbing Mount Everest to raise money for Global Angels, an international foundation championing the causes of children around the world, providing sustainable solutions. Every pound received from public donations goes directly to projects working at grass-roots level to empower children and their communities.

You can support Bonita, and help raise money for Global Angels, by topping-up your mobile at an ATM during March and April this year. Participating banks* and mobile phone operators** are clubbing together to donate 5p to Global Angels every time someone tops-up at an ATM. The Mobile Phone Top-Up service is available at almost 50,000 ATMs across the UK and is free to use. In addition, Bonita is auctioning off 3 flags*** which will feature the highest bidders name or personal message.  Bonita will take the flags up Mount Everest on her record breaking journey.  The first flag will be auctioned from today until Mothers Day 14th March.

To read more about Bonita's journey, including latest pictures, video content and blog updates, as well as how much money has been raised so far, go to www.bonitanorris.com.

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Contact:
For further information, please contact

Heather Forty
Skywrite
020 7608 4658
heather.forty@skywritecomms.com

Notes to Editors:

About Bonita Norris
Read more about Bonita and her Mount Everest Challenge here: http://www.bonitanorris.com

About the ATM Mobile Phone Top-Up service
The Mobile Phone Top-Up (MPTU) service at ATMs provides a quick and easy way for mobile phone users on prepay packages to top-up while on the go. This service is provided by VocaLink, the payments specialists, who are the official sponsor for Bonita's Mount Everest challenge.

Prepay consumers can top-up at almost 50,000 ATMs across the UK. The service is free to use and the credit is applied immediately. As well as topping-up your own prepay phone, users can gift credit to friends and family providing they know the mobile operator and mobile number of the phone they wish to top-up.

MPTU is available through ATMs bearing the green top-up logo which include Barclays, Bank Machine, Cardpoint, Cashzone, Clydesdale Bank, Cooperative Bank, Coventry Building Society, First Trust Bank, Halifax, Hanco, HSBC, Infocash, Lloyds TSB, Nationwide Building Society, Nat West, Note Machine, Royal Bank of Scotland, Sainsburys Finance, Yorkshire Bank.

Customers are able to top-up any prepay mobile from the following operators: O2, Orange, Vodafone, T-mobile, Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile,

About the 'Top-up Everest' campaign:
The 3 auction's will feature on eBay.  For more information and terms and conditions please go to www.bonitanorris.com.

*Participating Banks include: Lloyds TSB, Nationwide, Bank of Scotland, Barclays, RBS, Halifax, HSBC, Natwest, Coventry, Cooperative Bank, Clydesdale, Yorkshire Bank, First Trust, Tescos Finance, Sainsbury's Finance,

**Participating Mobile Phone Operators include: O2, Orange, Vodafone, T-mobile, Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile,

*** The first flag auction will run 8-14th March, The second flag auction will run 15-21st March. The third flag auction will run 22nd -28th March.