Everest climb in memory of mum

as a “lively, bubbly woman with a heart of gold.

“Because of her big personality we wanted to do something big to raise money for Kirkwood in her memory and Everest base camp is a pretty big challenge.”

The 12-day trek in November will take them on a 120km journey through the Himalayan mountain range to the base camp at 5,357m. They will then attempt to summit Kala Patthar (5,545m).

The couple are hoping to raise between £7,500 and £10,000 for Kirkwood Hospice at Dalton.

It is clear that the Everest walk will be a challenge for both of them but perhaps more so for Paul as he’s fairly new to hill walking.

Victoria said: “I love walking and do a lot of it because I have a Japanese akita, Koko, and she loves walkies too; my partner on the other hand has only just started getting into it.

“He loves taking pictures so even if he doesn’t enjoy the trek I’m sure he’ll enjoy the view.

“We are currently in training for it and aiming to walk a minimum of 50 miles a week, with the majority of the walking over the weekends. We plan harder routes, like mountains on Saturdays and more gentle, but lengthy walks on Sunday.

“So far we have completed Snowdon, Old Man of Coniston and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. We aim to complete the national three peaks challenge now the days are lighter for longer.”

She added: “Koko joins us on these walks too. Three years ago I managed to successfully climb Kilimanjaro for a children’s charity and didn’t suffer from altitude sickness so fingers crossed it won’t be too bad when we climb Everest base camp.”

Although Paul is a novice hillwalker he is fit and gets plenty of exercise in his job as a window cleaner. He is hoping to do some fund-raising work with footballing friends at Newsome FC.

To donate can go to: https:// mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ everest4kirkwood