A KIDDERMINSTER man has real-ised a lifetime ambition and boosted the coffers of his children's school after successfully conquering the world's highest mountain.

Stephen Stanford completed his personal challenge of reaching Base Camp - the highest possible point that can be walked to on Mount Everest - before his 40th birthday.

The Marlpool Lane resident's only similar experience before the task was a schoolboy venture up Ben Nevis, almost 25,000ft lower than the Himalayan peak.

He was joined on the gruelling expedition by friends, Nigel Frost and Andrew Davies, also from Kidderminster.

It took the group seven days to reach the 19,000ft final destination after starting in Kathmandu and just 20 hours to descend after they walked through the night using torches to guide their path, last October.

Mr Sandford, a father-of-three, admitted there were times during the journey when he wondered if he would reach his goal.

He said: "The trip was just amazing. I will never forget the generosity of the people or the sights but it was really hard work at times.

"The oxygen in the air is 50 per cent less than at sea level. It was that bad I could not lie down to go to sleep."

Despite the remote surroundings the group did manage to share some common ground with regulars at the highest known pub in the world.

He said: "We walked into this bar during one of our stops travelling up the mountain and the only music they played all night was Led Zeppelin.

"We were there telling all the locals that Robert Plant lives on our doorstep and they were really impressed."

The men plan to express their gratitude to one of their Tibetan tour guides by arranging a three-month visit to Wyre Forest to show him the difference in culture.

Mr Stanford used the demanding trip to raise money for Franche First School, which is attended by two of his children.

He handed over £250 for equipment and bosses at Howdens Joinery, where the explorer works, matched the donation to take the final total to £500.

Edward Lloyd-Jones, who teaches at the Chestnut Grove school, said: "Everyone at Franche would like to say a big thank you to Mr Stanford for choosing to help us."