Staffordshire teacher 'climbing Everest' for Sport Relief challenge on BBC Radio One
A teacher from Stone is embarking on a 'Step To Everest' challenge by climbing 8,848 metres at various locations around the country for Sport Relief.
Father-of-four Phil has always dreamt of climbing Mount Everest but has never been able to take time off for the lengthy training and preparation required.
As an alternative, he hoped to tackle the world’s highest mountain by conquering its height and scaling a gruelling 8848 metres from the stairs at his home.
Yet, Sport Relief and BBC Radio 1 had other plans and decided to take Phil on an adventure of a lifetime by supersizing his fundraising activity with the Step To Everest challenge.
While Step to Everest did kick off at his home on Monday, the next few days will see an unsuspecting Phil head to a mystery location each day.
WATCH the challenge launch here:
Each new location will be revealed by Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw on his Drivetime show.
Phil said: “It’s always been a dream of mine to do something out of the ordinary, to push myself to my limits.
"Thanks to Radio 1 and Sport Relief, this dream looks set to become a reality - 'climbing Everest' but without the risk of frostbite.
"My biggest wish is that people’s lives will be changed for the better as a result of this challenge, and awareness will be raised for some of the amazing charities that are supported through Sport Relief.”
BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James added: "No ridiculous challenge for me this year...Instead, we’re flipping it on its head and putting one of our listeners centre stage. We’ll use the power of Radio 1 to supersize teacher Phil’s challenge.
"We’re bringing the mountain to him as he tries to climb the height of Everest on stairs. The listeners to Radio 1 always relish these challenges and I can’t wait for Phil to experience it all.”
BBC Radio 1 listeners will be able to follow Phil’s progress in real time, with regular check-ins on the station’s programmes, supported by hosts Greg James, Arielle Free, Clara Amfo, Scott Mills & Chris Stark, and Nick Grimshaw. They will also be able to support Phil on his journey by donating at sportrelief.com/StepToEverest
Money raised will help tackle issues such as homelessness, domestic abuse, mental health stigma and child poverty, in the UK and around the world.
