FORMER Bath Travel boss Stephen Bath tackled the elements to complete a gruelling trek to Everest base camp.

He was part of a team of seven who have raised an estimated £25,000 for the world-renowned Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

The challenge left those involved exhausted and one member of the team was unable to complete the final day after being diagnosed with altitude sickness.

Alder Hey is the official charity of the Institute of Travel and Tourism(ITT) of which Stephen, who lives in Christchurch, is a board member.

The team were all drawn from the world of travel.

They flew to Abu Dhabi, then to Kathmandu, before a flight to the remote Himalayan village of Lakla.

From there they set off on foot and spent seven nights negotiating tricky terrain to reach base camp, at a staggering 5300m above sea level.

Stephen, who has previously climbed Kilimanjaro for charity, told the Daily Echo: "The Himalayas are off the scale in terms of height, even for someone who has extensive knowledge of the Alps.

"The air is incredibly thin so walking up hills for several days is exhausting. We had to keep stopping and resting for quite long periods of time to get oxygen back into our muscles so we could continue with the climb."

The group stayed in properties called Tea Houses on their adventure, the standard of which declined the more they climbed.

Stephen added: "On the last night it was completely dark and about minus 5C. We slept in full ski gear, fleeces, jackets, hats and gloves.

"In the morning our Nepalese guide said one of our group, Roberta Giacovelli, had altitude sickness which is very dangerous so she could not continue."

Donations have already reached around £17,000 but Stephen hopes to drum up another £10,000 at the annual ITT dinner at The Dorchester in Park Lane.

He has also urged others to donate to a fundraising page at justgiving.com/fundraising/stephenbath1

Stephen has created a 90-second video which can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HSM0szpLLw&feature=youtu.be__