BBC Football League Show reporter and broadcaster Mark Clemmit is part of a group of Football League representatives climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. From a base camp on Africa's highest peak, he tells of the difficulties.

I left home last Thursday morning, to meet up with the rest of the group at Heathrow at 5pm. By the time we started walking it was Saturday afternoon - plenty of time for the nerves and worry to kick in!

We did have a few hours to kill in Nairobi airport, but it proved quite entertaining thanks to Kammy blagging our way into a private lounge, at least we did have a bit of luxury to enjoy before the haul started.

We spent Friday night in the hotel before the briefing. That was when things started to get serious - it was a two-hour lesson and it was then that reality started to dawn.

That was when we knew what we had to come for and what we had let ourselves in for.

Our guide, Moses, is a big fella - a six foot three inch Kenyan and when he talks you listen. He has that aura about him.

The good news to come from the briefing was that the total raised for Marie Curie Cancer Care from our efforts is so far £140,000 - with hopefully more to come.

It took forever in the coach to get to base camp, around four hours. Then as soon as you get there all class, all standards, all dignity just go out of the window.

Don't get me started on the toilets! We've had chemical toilets dug into the ground, and you can constantly hear everyone when they need to go.

Regular toilet trips are the effects of the pills the majority have been taking to try and combat altitude sickness.

Before we start the real ascent upwards to the summit, I've discovered how dusty and dirty you get.

I walked the first day in shorts, combat trousers zipped off at the knees and converted to shorts. When I've put them back together they are two tones - blue like they should be and then brown from the dust and dirt.

Sunday was a beast of a day. We did eight hours, with an hour break in between.

In my own mind I didn't think it would be as daunting as it is proving. Tough, yes, I expected that but when you take all the factors in it together then it's all adding up into something.

I've done plenty of walking around the North-East as part of my training, let's say Roseberry Topping is no Mount Kilimanjaro!

I thought the walk / ascent might be a bit of a gradual thing, it's not. We are straight into it and straight up on very tricky conditions underfoot.

Our porters are unbelievable folk. They accompany us all the way and it's a climb they have obviously done so many times, and they carry our supplies, food, drinks, they have their backpacks on and their fitness levels are immense.

But we go at a real slow pace.

And it's bleak. In camp on Sunday night it was dark, freezing cold and we are in tents.

There's no facilities whatsoever, you try and get the grime and dirt off you and, wearing shorts, it's like your legs have been creosoted. Filthy isn't the word.

I brought the most useful of items - a nail brush. What tends to happen is that Dave Gibson - Steve's brother - supplies the liquid soap, I get the brush out and it goes between the four of us.

The food is good, but I'm sure I had to pull my belt in a bit this morning.

They do their best, set up a canteen for us and we just eat what comes to us. The porters, bear in mind, have carried the food up the mountain for us.

You get a little bit of meat, heavy on carbs, a bit of veg in there. They even attemped a bit of bacon for us this morning. What we would give for a real fry up!

It's tough for each and every one of us and there are 29 of us here.

Steve Gibson is mucking in as much as the next man and as well as the football fraternity you have fans from all over. It's interchangeable, no hierarchy, you sit down at dinner at the next available seat.

You could be sat next to a fan of Brighton or Hull, or sat next to a Premier League manager to be in Brendan Rodgers.

It's a very humbling experience.

Sadly, for me, this morning I've had an accident. Japes in camp before we set off, I went to give Ade Boothroyd a manly embrace, changed my mind at the last minute and jumped into his arms.

He lost his balance, tripped over a rock and I caught my left foot on a bigger rock and sprained my bloody ankle. The doc who is with us has give me anti-inflammatories to help and fingers crossed they work.

It's a rocky and hilly path and hard at the best of times.

Night time is cold, bitterly cold. I had thermals on in bed last night, wrapped in a mummified sleeping bag and zipped right up - it's only going to get worse as well.

Right now it's Monday lunchtime and we are about to eat.

After lunch we set off on a training trek to higher altitude, then come back down, to see if we can handle the altitude and the effects of it.

We have done 19km walking so far and are up 4,500m in height. There's 11km to the summit and then another 1,500m climb.

After the training exercise we will climb to our camp from which we will attempt the summit on Wednesday.

We plan to get there for lunchtime, sleep after that, wake at tea time, sleep until about 11pm and then move for the top and start the assault at midnight with the aim of hitting the top for sunrise.

It should be a spectacular sight to behold.

To make a donation, visit Clem's fund raising page

www.justgiving.com/markclemmit