Mark Lockley, 52, of Hutton, near Preston, tackled 19,340ft Kilimanjaro and raised £1,500 for Derian House children's hospice in Chorley.

He said: "As I get older I set myself little goals and I'd always fancied climbing Kilimanjaro.

"But it was a lot harder, and a lot colder, than I expected."

Mark, who owns a driveway company, was accompanied by a guide, a cook and four porters to help carry equipment.

He said: "People are with you all the way. It's a bigger project than you think.

"The breathable oxygen at the top of the mountain is less than half that at sea level and climbers cover at least 80km.

"Four climbers had to be taken down due to altitude sickness – even a really fit 31-year-old tennis player," added Mark.

The father-of-two trained for three months before the climb. It took him seven and a half days to reach the summit, after which his wife flew out to meet him.

He said: "My advice to anyone thinking of climbing the mountain would be to take plenty of warm clothes. Despite being only 3 degrees off the Equator, it freezes really hard up there."

Mark funded the trip himself so all the money raised could go to Derian House, which helps families before and after the death of a child. He said: "It's such a worthwhile cause."