A TEAM of 20 women have returned home after a 'gruelling yet incredible' charity expedition to climb Kilimanjaro.

The group, comprised of members from Hampshire, one from Stockholm and another from Egypt, battled through harsh winds, rain and a blizzard on their week-long quest.

They met at the base of the mountain on October 10, and "grew closer as friends" as the days went on.

Chandler’s Ford resident Shadi Ganjavian-Connor, the founder of fundraising company Team GC, organised the climb.

She said: "It was gruelling – just incredibly wet for the time of year. If anybody ever says to one of us that climbing Kilimanjaro is easy, it'll make us want to punch them in the face!

"Fifteen of us pushed for the summit, and we had eight-and-a-half hours of snow blizzards. There was just so much snow, and what would usually be a beautiful zig-zag path on the way down turned into a blanket of white.

"When we got to the bottom, one of the guides who had reached the summit 300 times said the conditions were possibly the worst he's seen. But there's something about middle aged women.

"I think at one point we all wanted to turn around, but we kept going and it has been so rewarding."

Money raised will be split between Street Reach Winchester, Trinity Winchester, Maggie’s Place Southampton, The Brain Tumor Charity, Dementia UK, The Murray Parish Trust and Target Ovarian Cancer.

Shadi added: "Everyone had a wonderful time, despite it not being easy. It brought everyone together, and I think it's incredible that a group of women with not that much in common, completing something as challenging as this, didn't fall out with each other – not once."

After their climb the women visited a local orphanage. They spent time with the children and donated toys and clothes.

Shadi will return to the mountain next September for another fundraising venture. She will bring a mixed group of men and women.