Mountain challenge peaking

A group of charity campaigners set themselves a real mountain to climb, and although they failed to reach their fundraising summit, they are delighted with what they achieved.

Hasely Lobb, organiser of the

8848m For Nepal, challenged people to individually walk, run, climb, ride, jump, or use a mobility scooter to travel 8848 metres - the equivalent of scaling the height of Mount Everest - within a month to raise money for the Himalayan Trust’s Musey Water Appeal.

The challenge started on November 1 and ends today, and all 14 competitors are in the final stages of completing their 8848m distance.

Lobb said the group had raised about $6,000 of the $20,000 target so far and anyone who wanted to donate could still do so.

‘‘I had no idea how much we’d raise going into this,’’ Lobb said. ‘‘I would have liked to have raised more but every little bit helps.’’

The money will be used to help the people of Musey, in the Himalayan region of Nepal.

They are currently having to walk over rugged mountainous terrain for around 20 minutes to get water after their water tank was destroyed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck in April

2015.

The trust hasn’t been the only one to benefit from the challenge Lobb’s lost 6kg so far.

‘‘It’s a big personal achievement and I’ve got healthier because of this challenge.’’

While Lobb’s achievements have been impressive, fellow campaigner Jo Taylor has taken it to the extreme and has completed the distance twice.

‘‘She reached the 8848m in 12 days and was challenged to do it again, so she did,’’ Lobb said.