A COUPLE from north Dorset have raised over £3,500 for charity after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of dementia.

Sean and Andrea Tyndale-Biscoe, right, who live in Hazelbury Bryan, near Sturmin-ster Newton, took on the challenge to climb the world’s highest free-standing peak to raise funds for The Lewy Body Society.

Now back from their adventure, the couple have made £3,774 for the good cause, after Andrea’s mum developed the condition.

Andrea, 44, said: “It was an eight-day climb, which saw us reach the summit on January 18, after eight hours of climbing through the night, while the temperature was minus eight.”

She added: “Climbing Kilimanjaro is something that I have always wanted to do and I am enormously proud of Sean for getting fit and giving up smoking, so we could achieve it together.

“No amount of training could ever prepare you for the summit climb and only grit determination got us to the top.

“Having lost my mum to Lewy Body Dementia (DLB), I feel very strongly about raising awareness of this little-known, but not uncommon, devastating disease.

“The Lewy Body Society was founded in 2006, in order to support research into DLB, and to raise awareness and educate the public, medical professionals and those in healthcare decision-making positions about the disease.”

Andrea added that the society does not have any paid staff, so all of the money they have raised will go directly into funding awareness and research.

For more information and to make a donation, visit the website justgiving.com/andrea-sean4 lewybody