Local plumber, Luke Meehan and Roger Picknett, a roofer, both from Wells, are climbing Mount Everest to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The pair are due to set off this weekend on their sixteen-day expedition and hope to climb to Mount Everest’s base camp, a height of 18,000 feet. The pair aim to get sponsorship of 10p for every metre they scale, which will then be donated to Cancer Research UK.

Luke said: “I have wanted to climb Mount Everest for a very long time, but it’s always been out of reach due to

financing an expedition like that. It costs over £6k just for a permit to climb to the summit, so we just said enough dreaming, let’s do it for real and go to base camp. As a bonus, we get to raise some money to help a great cause.”

Luke enjoys trekking and rock climbing in his spare time and Roger is an avid trekker. The pair have been training by taking on some smaller peaks. “We both have physical jobs and are reasonably fit,” Luke continued. “Last year we climbed Snowdon. In March this year, we went up Mount Tiede in Tenerife and have done some free solo climbing. Now it seems Mount Everest is inevitable. We are extremely excited and can’t wait to see some amazing views. We know this is a difficult climb, but we believe the risk is worth it.”

For more information about the expedition and to donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/Luke-Meehan