A recovered drug addict from Ely will taking on a life-changing climb up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of addiction and domestic abuse.

Mitchell Jones - who has been clean from Class A drugs for two years - will take on the challenge with his friend of 15 years Dan Taylor.

The pair decided that they wanted to help raise awareness of debilitating addiction and toxic relationships after struggling in their past.

They hope to raise £10,000 for charities Addaction and Mind.

Mitchell, 26, said: "We've both been in toxic relationships before and I got caught up in drug abuse as a result of it but now I've come out the other end.

"I've even lost friends in the past due to drugs.

"I woke up this New Year and thought I just need to do something to help people dealing with these issues.

"The climb was Dan's idea; we've both always been on the same page as close friends so we knew that we wanted to do this together."

It will cost £1,800 each to take part in the climb, but all other funds raised will go to both charities.

Mitchell, who has been a chef for nine years, has worked at Warner Bros and Aston Villa Football Club.

But he said helping others is his main passion.

"I've never felt the amount of satisfaction I get from my job like I do when I'm helping others and being able to do something like this," he said.

"I want people to know that help and support is out there.

"Everyday you see something in the news about how two women a week are killed due to relationships.

"Two million people in the UK have been victims over the past year - something needs to be done to stop this."

Dan, 29, who is a truck driver from Peterborough, is gearing up to start training with Mitchell for the climb on July 11.

They also hope to Livestream it so that supporters can follow their progress.

Mitchell added: "My plan is to get in the gym and get training and get the message out there about what we're doing.

"I was 12-years-old when I last did a climb in Scotland, so this is something that will be new for the both of us."

To donate to the appeal visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/sponsored-kilimanjaro-climb