Kimberley Walsh returns to Africa with four other celebrities from 'Team Kilimanjaro'

Heart warming: Kimberley Walsh got a chance to play with the local children before heading to the net distribution area

Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh was back in Africa this week to see where the money raised on Red Nose Day has been spent, and to see how the threat of malaria - Africa's biggest killer - is being dealt with.
Earlier this year, Walsh was one of nine celebrities who flew out to Tanzania to take on Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, in a bid to raise money for charity.

It took the team, which included Cheryl Cole, Alesha Dixon and Ronan Keating, seven gruelling days to complete the trek up to the summit.


Fun and games: Gary Barlow gets to know some African sports with the local children
This time round, Walsh travelled to Uganda with Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Chris Moyles and Ben Shephard in tow, and their trip is the focus of a BBC documentary to be aired this Sunday.

'The climb was a real challenge and there were times when most of us didn't think we would make it to the top,' Walsh told the BBC.

'But seeing the impact it's made, we are all so glad we stuck at it.'


Helping hand: Fearne Cotton helps hand out mosquito nets to queues of waiting people
The team were given the opportunity to see first hand just how their money was spent.

A short chance to interact with locals and meet people on the ground was followed by a visit to the Bulimya net distribution area - one of the centres that provide mosquito nets to help protect children and families from the disease.

'Handing those nets to people who needed and wanted them so desperately was an unforgettable thing to be given the chance to do,' Walsh said afterwards.


Chris Moyles hands out a set of nets, as a massive queue forms at the centre
'Almost all of them were parents and they were desperate to be able to protect their children - it was great to play a small part in it.'
With the money the celebrity-team had raised, around 1.5million people would have been protected from malaria in an area the size of Northern Ireland, Cotton told the BBC.
The TV presenter, who was also part of the team, said: 'It's a real privilege to be honest. When you help to raise money for Comic Relief you know it's going to make a difference to people's lives.'

Apart from the charity work, the team enjoyed catching up with each other again.
'There's been a lot of reminiscing, a lot of stories I'd forgotten about and some I'd wished I had,' Walsh said.
Cotton added: 'It's something that we will always, always talk about when we see each other


The original Kilimanjaro group (clockwise left to right) Denise Van Outen, Chris Moyles, Gary Barlow, Ben Shephard, Ronan Keating, Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole, Fearne Cotton and Kimberley Walsh