INTREPID Stourbridge students have raised more than £5,000 in sponsorship after completing a charity climb to the foot of the highest mountain on earth.

Sam Johnson, aged 21, from Hagley, and Alex Hill, aged 20, from Norton, were among a 12-strong team from Birmingham’s Aston University who made the gruelling journey to Everest Base Camp - which stands at 17,598 feet.

The trip, to South Base Camp in Nepal, was on behalf of Childreach International, which works to improve children's access to healthcare and education to help youngsters achieve their full potential.

So far the group have raised more than £27,000 for the charity - with Sam and Alex coining in £5,000 in sponsorship between them.

Sam said: “It was very hard, definitely the hardest thing we have both ever had to do both physically and emotionally, but an absolutely amazing experience.”

During the trip Sam, a business and psychology student, and Alex, who is studying chemistry and maths, also helped to renovate a derelict school in Nepal that is being brought back into use to try and improve the educational opportunities for youngsters in the area.

The pair mucked in by plastering the classroom walls with a mixture of cement, water and cow dung.