A LANCING resident celebrated her 50th birthday by trekking to the base of Mount Everest for charity.

Sarah Jones raised more than £2,600 for Worthing hospice St Barnabas House.

She set herself the challenge of a lifetime – to trek to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal at an altitude of 17,598ft.

Sarah said: “I did the trek in memory of a dear friend Mad Madeline Band who the hospice helped through its Hospice at Home service.

“The trek was the most amazing and exhausting experience of my life.”

Sarah has been fascinated by the world’s highest mountain ever since she was given the Guinness Book of Records for Christmas at the age of 13.

Having read books and watched documentaries, Sarah admitted it had always been her dream to see Mount Everest with her own eyes.

The challenge involved 77 miles of trekking over 13 days – 38.5 miles and nine days to trek up to basecamp and a further 38.5 miles and four days to descend.

With temperatures dropping as low as -20ºC at night and 50 per cent less oxygen at Everest Base Camp, proper acclimatisation was imperative.

She said:“The trek to Everest Base Camp was guided, supported and arranged through Travel and Trek who liaised with the Fundraising Team at St Barnabas House.

“They arranged the dates so I could spend my 50th birthday at Everest. The trek was the most incredible experience of my life.

“It exceeded all my expectations and, although it was physically very demanding, it was also hugely rewarding in every way.

“Being surrounded by the immense mountains, the names of which I’d seen and read so much about, seemed very surreal!