A group of three hardy teenagers from Ely are set to take on a climbing expedition in the Alps to raise money for charity.

Ely Standard:

Toby Lancaster, 17, is organising the trip and together with his friends Henry Moore and Laurence Halfpenny, also 17, they are set to challenge themselves to climb two peaks in three days whilst spending the nights on the mountain in August.

The three boys have gained experience in mountaineering through Ely Scheme which is an initiative run by King’s Ely and has seen them taking on mountains in the Alps, Sierra Nevada and then finally a three-week expedition to Mongolia in 2014.

This trip is the first one that they will have organised themselves and Toby has decided to use it as an opportunity to raise money and raise awareness for a disease and charity that many people will not be aware of.

Ely Standard:

Toby said: “The charity I have chosen is the National Brain Appeal and the Myrtle Ellis Fund which is specifically to support posterior cortical atrophy which is the visual variant of Alzheimer’s causing the patient to lose vision and spatial awareness first.

“It is exactly the same visual variant that Terry Pratchett suffered from. The disease is different from the regular Alzheimer’s in that it strikes at a young age, typically affecting middle-aged, fit, high achievers in the prime of their careers and life.

“The reason that I have chosen this charity is that one of my neighbours in Ely, Nigel Womack is suffering from this terrible condition and when at work was an eminent colorectal surgeon.

“I just wanted to use the opportunity to raise awareness as many people think of Alzhiemers being a disease of the elderly. My neighbour was diagnosed in his early 50’s and is now only 60 but is now heading towards the final stages and I hope that by raising some money and awareness that other people and their families will not have to suffer in the same way.”

To sponsor the trio visit www.justgiving.com/TobyLancaster