Climber’s peak performance for hospice

A Derbyshire climber has realised his childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest – and raised thousands of pounds for Treetops Hospice in the process.

David Winsbury, of Long Eaton, has achieved his life-long ambition to climb the world’s highest mountain, while raising more than £5,000 for the end-of-life charity.

The 26-year-old’s climb had been twice being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But recently, he finally realised his dream, climbing to the mountain’s base camp.

He said: “Mount Everest is something that has always fascinated me and although I’ve been made to wait almost three years because of coronavirus, it was so worth it.

“We climbed to the base camp but, hopefully one day, I’d like to climb to the summit.

“I travelled with a group of 15 climbers led by Trevor Rigley, a store manager for the Co-op, who have supported the trip.

“Trevor’s enthusiasm and the knowledge of our tour manager Lee Doak, who is a marine engineer with the British Army, was much needed. We wouldn’t have made it without their help and guidance.”

David decided to raise cash for Treetops because of the help and support it has provided family following his mum’s diagnosis of breast cancer.

He said: “Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer around six years ago and Treetops have been supporting her in lots of different ways.

“She attends Adapted Tai Chi classes and counselling sessions at Treetops and says that talking to other people living with cancer has made her feel ‘normal’.

“That, for me, just shows how valuable the service they provide is for families in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.”

Adela Appleby, head of community relationships at Treetops, said: “We’re thrilled that David has achieved his life-long dream and made some wonderful memories to look back on for years to come.

“With every step, David has helped us to care for terminally ill patients and their families in the local community and has made a big difference.

“We want to say a huge congratulations and thank him very much for thinking of us as he took on this amazing challenge.”