A Leicester-based optician has completed the gruelling climb to Everest Base Camp to raise funds for local charities.
Bhavna Hughes, made the 5,600-metre ascent to Everest Base Camp in Nepal in May. As her result of her efforts, she raised over £7,000, which will be split between local sight loss charity Vista, and The Bridge Homelessness to Hope, which is based in Leicester.
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After flying into picturesque village of Lukla on 11 May, she started the climb with her friend and several other climbers. After a long, tough journey, stopping at several points to acclimatise themselves to the high altitude, they completed the climb in eight days.
“The experience has been absolutely phenomenal – this is something that I have wanted to do for years,” said Ms Hughes, who has been a practicing optician for 40 years.
“Although the climb was so hard, the scenery kept me going and I completed the challenge in eight days.
In order to prepare for the challenge, Bhavna completed three boot camp sessions a week and “lots of long walks and stair climbing.”
A few years back, she climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa, which has an elevation of 5,895 metres.
To donate to Bhavna’s latest fundraising effort, visit: https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/576/my-challenge-base-camp-everest/