John Farnworth mounts up for Everest test

John Farnworth is aiming to add a ninth Guinness World Record to his list by reaching Mount Everest Base Camp while doing ‘keep-me-ups’, as part of his next charity challenge.

The 32-year-old CBBC Kickabout presenter hopes to keep the football off the ground during a two-week trek to Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 17,650ft in a bid to raise £50,000 for Alzheimer’s Society.

The high-profile challenge - on February 23 - follows previous successful feats, including performing daring tricks on a 600ft radio mast, as well as ‘keep me ups’ for the length of the 2011 London Marathon.

As part of his training, John will head to Snowdon, Wales’ highest mountain at 3,560 ft, to practice climbing a mountain while performing continuous ‘keep me ups’, as well as training with 12kg weights to prepare for carrying his equipment on the challenge.

A camera crew will help him document the experience for his YouTube channel.

“I’ve always enjoyed pushing myself to see just what I can achieve and this will definitely be my most testing challenge to date,” said John. “Alzheimer’s is something that’s very close to my heart, with my grandad sadly passing away from vascular dementia last year.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/everestfootball