Arthur, 7, from Thames Ditton reached the 1,831m top of Dinara, Croatia's highest mountain, on 20 October: step one of his Kilimanjaro climb for Macmillan.

A seven-year-old from Thames Ditton has climbed to the top of Croatia’s highest mountain, and he is using it as the first step towards Kilimanjaro.

Arthur reached Sinjal, the 1,831 metre summit of Dinara, on 20 October with his mother, Jelena Ivanova, and a local mountain guide. The adventure took nine hours over rocky ground. Asked afterwards how hard he had found it, his mother says, his answer was one word: “Medium!”

The climb is the opening chapter of a mother-and-son project the family calls Every Summit Counts: The Road to Kilimanjaro. Arthur wants to climb Africa’s highest mountain when he turns eight, and he is raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support along the way.

Arthur in a green Macmillan Cancer Support T-shirt holds an Every Summit Counts banner congratulating him on reaching Dinara's summit, with mountains and blue sky behind
Arthur holds his Every Summit Counts banner on the summit of Dinara. Photo: supplied by Jelena Ivanova

Why Macmillan

The cause is a personal one. “We’re raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, a cause particularly close to our hearts as someone Arthur loves is currently undergoing cancer treatment,” Jelena told Elmbridge News.

His JustGiving page set a target of £500 for the Dinara climb. When we checked it on 27 October it showed £452 from 26 donations, plus £105.50 in Gift Aid. The page describes the full project as “a 15-month journey through increasingly demanding mountain challenges as he prepares to attempt Kilimanjaro at eight”, with his mother “alongside him, supporting him every step of the way”.

“We hope his journey will inspire other children and families to explore the outdoors, dream big and make a difference,” she said.

A record, with a caveat

Jelena says Arthur is the youngest British person known to have reached Dinara’s summit, and that their guide, Antonija, confirmed he was the youngest person she had ever taken to the top.

He is not the youngest climber of all. Šibenik News, writing on MOK, calls Arthur the second youngest to climb Croatia’s highest peak under his own steam, after a five-year-old boy from Šibenik who did it with his father in winter conditions in 2008.

Arthur in a green Macmillan T-shirt stands beside a tall white cross covered in stickers on the rocky summit of Dinara
Arthur beside the summit cross on Dinara. Photo: supplied by Jelena Ivanova

Covered in Croatia first

Three Croatian outlets have already reported the climb. According to Dalmacija Danas and TRIS, the Šibenik-Knin County tourist board backed this leg of the trip, and Arthur was guided by Antonija Viljac, a mountaineer from Šibenik. Both reports put the Kilimanjaro attempt in December 2027, and say Arthur has already walked in the Austrian Alps and climbed Snowdon in Wales.

Arthur in a puffer jacket with two walking poles stands beside a trail map and a signpost marked Sinjal, with a wooden mountain hut behind him
Arthur beside a trail map and a signpost for Sinjal on Dinara. Photo: supplied by Jelena Ivanova

How to support Arthur

  • Donate: through Arthur’s JustGiving page, where donations go to Macmillan Cancer Support (registered charity 261017).
  • Find out more about Macmillan: call 0300 1000 200 or visit macmillan.org.uk, the contact details the charity gives on Arthur’s page.

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