Blind man and his guide dog begin Everest charity challenge

A blind man and his guide dog are scaling new heights for charity with an incredible Everest climbing challenge.

David Adams, who lives in Priors Marston, and his guide dog Jimbo have begun an epic mission to reach the equivalent height of Mount Everest, by climbing Marston Hill 197 times over the next few months.

If successful, the duo will complete 29,032 ft, the same height that Everest towers above sea level, and Jimbo will become the first guide dog to scale the world’s highest peak.

David and Jimbo are raising money for European Guide Dogs, the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Warwickshire Vision Support.

They hope to reach the milestone distance, equivalent to nearly seven full marathons, by David’s 78th Birthday on 8th August.

David said: “Jimbo is absolutely loving it all, my knees are getting a bit sore, but it’s probably because its been hard to do much during the lockdown.

“We've got to the height of Snowden, that’s the kind of milestone we’ve reached at the moment, so we’ll be approaching Ben Nevis next.

“The guy who trained Jimbo to be a guide dog rang me up when he heard we’ve be climbing Everest and said you can’t do that, I had to explain that we were not actually going up the actual mountain.

“Having been in Covid lockdown for most of the last year, I’m looking forward to a bit of fresh air and to lose some weight along the way.”

David’s son Simon raised almost £300,000 for the Motor Neurone Association before he died from the condition in 2011.

Since than his friends have boosted that total to £538,000 and David is also looking to support the charity with his Everest fundraising challenge.

To support David and Jimbo, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidAdams78