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Grace Millane's mother raises £27,000 climbing Kilimanjaro

Love Grace x Gill Millane at peak of Mount KilimanjaroLove Grace x
Gill Millane says climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in memory of her daughter and husband was "very emotional"

The mother of a British backpacker murdered in New Zealand has raised more than £27,000 by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Grace Millane, 22, from Wickford in Essex, was killed while on a Tinder date in Auckland in December 2018.

A 28-year-old man was convicted of her murder and sentenced at Auckland High Court to a minimum of 17 years in jail.

Grace's mother Gill Millane said the experience of climbing Africa's highest peak had been "very emotional".

She previously said she would be taking on the "daunting" challenge in memory of Grace as well in memory of her own late husband David, who died from cancer in 2020.

Lucie Blackman Trust Grace MillaneLucie Blackman Trust
University of Lincoln graduate Grace was on a round-the-world trip when she was murdered by a man she had met on the Tinder dating app

In a message posted on the Love Grace x campaign Facebook page she said: "I'd just like to thank everyone that's given us money for charity.

"We've done it, it really, really wasn't easy.

"I can't thank everyone enough for the support they've given us. And the crew just overwhelmed and very, very emotional. We've done it."

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Mrs Millane reached the peak of the mountain in Tanzania with her sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

She is raising funds for, and awareness of, White Ribbon, which is a charity that aims to end violence against women and girls.

She is also raising money for St Luke's Hospice in Basildon, which supported the family during her husband's illness, and bereavement charity Widowed and Young.

Before embarking on the trek Mrs Millane said doing charity work helped her "channel my grief in a positive way".

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