A WINSFORD funeral director is preparing to embark on the toughest challenge of his life – climbing the highest mountain in Africa.

Dave Fowles, 43, is aiming high to raise £5,000 each for St Luke’s Hospice and Clic Sargent and a further £2,000 for Over St John's CE Primary School in Winsford, by taking on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mount Kilimanjaro, situated in Tanzania, is the world’s highest free standing mountain via the Lemosho route, which is approximately 42 miles.

Dave is hoping to complete the gruelling trek in seven days, and has funded the trip himself.

He said: “Through my work I have seen first-hand the amazing work that St Luke’s and Clic Sargent do and I just want to help them both as much as I can.

“I have added St John’s School as so many of my family have been pupils at St John’s, going back to my Gran over 80 years ago, so I thought it was time for the Fowles to give something back.”

It’s not the first gruelling challenge Dave has attempted for charity.

Back in 2009 he raised £10,000 for Clic Sargent, which supports children diagnosed with cancer, when he trekked across Peru on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

His latest adventure will see him take on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341ft above sea level.

In comparison, Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, is 4409ft high, so Dave will be climbing almost four-and-a-half times that.

Dave, who is one of the directors at Fowles Funeral Directors, in Winsford, has been in training for the past 12 months.

He will is set to take on the 27-mile Yorkshire Three Peaks and in August he will spend three days in the Lake District, which will be the final push of his tough training schedule.

Dave said: “I want to thank all my wonderful sponsors for helping to make this trek possible and I will be taking the flag with everyone’s names on it to the top of the mountain.”

To donate to Dave’s Mount Kilimanjaro trek, visit gofundme.com/kiliorbust2015 or call in to Fowles Funeral Services on Delamere Street in Winsford.