Chef Michelle braved Everest blizzard so more than 200 people won’t be alone on Christmas Day

Liverpool chef and businesswoman Michelle O’Dwyer braved a life-threatening blizzard at Everest base camp so more than 200 people won’t have to spend Christmas Day alone.

Michelle, 51, suffered frostbite and lost feeling in her hands and feet while undertaking the daring trek to the foot of the world’s highest mountain in October to raise money for the Community Christmas Dinner she organises in the city every year.

“It was horrific and amazing in equal parts, and it was hard because we all felt so ill,” says Michelle, who undertook the feat with a group of other women.

“I have never seen weather change so quickly. One minute it was cold but sunny, the next it was raining heavily and we got absolutely drenched … and the next we were in the middle of a blizzard that no-one expected – and which cost some people their lives.”

Thankfully Michelle and her party got through the ordeal and Michelle has raised £4,352 to put on the Community Christmas Dinner for 230 people, this year at the Black-E centre in Great George Street.

And she says: “All that I went through was worth it.

“Christmas can be a difficult time for a lot of people.

“The Community Christmas Dinner is an amazing event that gives Christmas meaning and purpose to me and means so much to the hundreds of people from Liverpool who might otherwise spend Christmas on their own.

“It’s about connection, and valuing humanity.  And it’s about creating lasting memories that people will treasure for ever.”

Michelle from North Liverpool, who owns private dining company Baytree Events and Baytree Cookery Academy CIC – which works with communities and organisations across the north west teaching health, budgeting, teamwork and wellbeing as well as international cuisine – has organised the Christmas Community Dinner for many years.

This year it will be the ninth, taking in Covid when meals were delivered to people’s homes, and will move from Vauxhall Community Centre to the Black-E.

“We have people coming from all over Merseyside; adults with disabilities, military veterans, families, all sorts of different people, and it’s like a massive family Christmas,” explains Michelle.

“We have a grotto and Santa who gives people gifts, everyone gets a food hamper, and of course everyone sits down to a dinner.

“Ste Chad from 051 Entertainments is DJing again this year and bringing his snow machine – which might trigger a few bad memories,” she smiles, “and we’ve got carol karaoke and Sway with Ray, and lots of volunteers who help make it happen.”

Michelle goes on: “We’ve got people coming from Tom Harrison House, the charity which provides a specialist addiction recovery programme for UK Armed Forces veterans and emergency services, to peel all the veggies on the 22^nd, and Gemma Longworth from Find It, Fix It, Flog It who’s coming to help us make and put up decorations.

“And we’ve had support again from Chung Ku and Julie Lawson CIC. I’ve been blown away by people’s generosity.”

Michelle started volunteering in 2015 with St Andrew’s Community Network and helped out with their foodbank. Then in 2016 she volunteered at the Joseph Lappin Centre in Old Swan, and then cooked Christmas dinner in a rehab centre: “All of that happened after someone was kind to me when I was suffering from depression. They helped me when I was at my lowest and it made me realise there was a different way of living.”

Every year she sets herself a fundraising challenge which puts her out of her comfort zone to raise money for the Community Christmas Dinner – last year cycling 300 miles around Vietnam.

“I like to push my boundaries,” she admits, “and do something a little out of the ordinary because there are so many other charities out there.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the 10^th next year – I think I might have peaked with Everest!

“The trek to base camp was 13 days and it was amazing – but hard.

“When the blizzard hit we had no alternative but to keep on walking in single file. Our sherpas were brilliant and they knew where they were and were so calm so I didn’t panic and just knew we had to crack on.

“But we could hear helicopters circling overhead as people were lost. It’s weird but your mind just goes somewhere else.

“I kept singing ‘Who will buy this wonderful morning?’ from the musical, Oliver, to get me through.

“It was so cold, I lost all feeling in my hands and feet, and my face and lips swelled – although when people saw that they donated more!”

Michelle, who did the Magaluf Half Marathon earlier in the year to raise money for Alfie’s Squad, has hinted at other plans to get people together more in the New Year, but for now her focus is Christmas Day and the community dinner that will give so many people a Christmas Day to remember instead of one they’d choose to forget.

“I remember feeling down and thinking I could either sit feeling sorry for myself or do something positive.

“The Community Christmas Meal makes me happy, and I feel like I have a purpose.

“It’s such a magical time and, with isolation and people working from home and not socialising the same, we’ve never needed other people more.

“It’s a lovely day and the kindness of Liverpool is amazing. People are just beautiful.”

Help Michelle raise more funds by donating here.

Find out what’s happening this Christmas across Liverpool here.

Find out what’s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide. 

From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North – visit thenorthernguide.com and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram HERE.