St Michael’s schoolboy Thomas Ward (12) scaled new heights to reach the summit of Ben Nevis, raising £635 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation and at the same time, achieving his final challenge to secure his Archbishop’s Young Leader Award.

Thomas, a pupil at Lancaster’s Ripley St Thomas CE Academy, was inspired to take on the climb, his most ambitious to date, in memory of a former teacher and a neighbour, who had both recently lost their lives to cancer.

It took Thomas, who plays football for Springfields Football Club and is a member of his village tennis club, and dad Miles, who accompanied him, over eight hours to trek up and down the mountain.

Proud mum Sarah, who helped Thomas set up his donation page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/benneviswalk, said: “Thomas found it tough but was determined to finish. He is very grateful to all his generous sponsors, including a lady he met about an hour from the top of Ben Nevis, who gave him a £10 donation.

placeholder image — Thomas reaches the summit of Ben Nevis

“By completing the challenge, Thomas also finished his Archbishop’s Young Leader Award so along with his 17-year-old sister Marianna, we had a family celebration meal when we were reunited.”

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, Lancashire and South Cumbria’s specialist regional cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties.

The charity funds cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk