A Sheffield man has run the height of Everest in memory of his cousin and to raise funds for a mental health charity.

Simon Watts, from Greystones, climbed the hill in Bingham Park a total of 255 times to reach the 8,848m height of Mount Everest. 

Mr Watts ran the equivalent of a 30,000ft climb  in just under 30 hours over the weekend and raised over £1,500.

The ‘Everesting Challenge’ involves people continuously either cycling or running up and down a hill until they reach the height of Mount Everest.

Mr Watts took on the challenge in tribute to his cousin Rachael, who took her own life last August to raise money for the Mind Over Mountains charity. 

He said: “Honouring her memory was the main driving force for me.

“It’s so inspiring that complete strangers are so willing to donate to causes and spread the word about mental health.”

Mind over Mountains offers professional mental health support through nature walks and outdoor mindfulness.

Helen Wooldridge, head of marketing and communications at Mind over Mountains, said: “What Simon has achieved is not just the money he has raised, he has helped the profile of the charity.

“With mental health services so stretched, more and more people need help and charities like ours are becoming more and more important.”

She added that it would raise awareness for mental health in general and particularly men’s mental health which she described as ‘so important and huge’.

Mr Watts raised over £2,700 for another mental health charity in 2021 through a series of physical challenges in memory of his friend who took his own life that year. 

He took part in the Lands End to John O’Groats cycle challenge, a 874 mile trip that spans the full length of the UK, over several days.

Mr Watts added: “One thing that spurred me on throughout is showing people that everyone is capable of far more than they think.”

To find out more about Mind over Mountains, visit the website: https://mindovermountains.org.uk/

To read more about Simon’s story or help donate, click here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/everesting-for-rach