At an age where most people would be thinking of slowing down, a 60-year-old man is preparing to climb to Everest base camp.

Retired special needs teacher Charles Appleyard, of Skipton Road, Ilkley, is raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He chose the charity after being diagnosed with bowel cancer last year. He underwent surgery at Airedale Hospital to successfully remove the cancer and now has six monthly checks.

“It wasn’t aggressive and it was caught at an early stage,” he said.

It was while looking on Macmillan Cancer Support’s website that he came across their Everest Base Camp challenge. The trip takes 18 days in November.

To donate towards the challenge visit justgiving.com/Charles-Appleyard