A father-of-four has reached new heights as he scaled the highest mountain in the Alps to thank the hospital that cared for his children when they were born.
Tom Stokes, of Abbots Bromley, braved the extreme cold and the chance of altitude sickness to tackle Mont Blanc, in the Alps, to raise money for the maternity units at Burton's Queen's Hospital and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital, in Lichfield, where his four children were born.
Eldest child Oliver, who was born premature, had extra care at Burton’s Queen’s Hospital when he to return when he contracted meningitis at three months old and needed specialist care so he wanted to do something to thank the team.
The 37-year-old is no stranger to climbing having grown up near the 1,085 metre high Mount Snowden in North Wales but this time he pushed himself further by climbing the mountain which peaks at 4,089 metres.
Mr Stokes, a member of the Old Bromsgrovian Expedition Club, said the adventure was no mean feat even for a seasoned climber, but it has been a life-long ambition to climb Mont Blanc so he was determined to complete his challenge.
His efforts paid off as he smashed his £2,500 target by raising £3,000 and hopes that it can now go a step further and reach £4,000 with promises of donations.
He said: "I was very fortunate with the weather and everything went according to plan. I had spent the last 16 to 18 months getting prepared to go and it was going well but then I moved house and we had our fourth child Axel in June, who was again looked after by Burton’s Queen’s Hospital.
"I flew out on the Sunday and we were up by 6am on the Monday morning for altitude training and set off on the Tuesday. On the Friday we did the last bit in one go, we were climbing for around eight hours.
"I did the trek with Mountain Tracks and would not have been able to do it without them. My tour guide Ollie Allen was around 45 with 30 odd years’ experience. I spent full days attached to him by rope and I think you learn more about someone in those six days than people I have known for 15 or 20 years.
"Physically I found it relatively straight forward. I did have some aches in my thighs and blisters but physically it wasn’t too bad, I was quite confident. I did get a bit scared on some of the ridges as I kept thinking that I have four children dependent on me so I was a bit concerned and it was scary at times but I had my guide with me and I cannot thank him enough.
"I feel like I could do it again. I am raring to do something like the Matterhorn Mountain, on the border of Italy and Switzerland. I am hoping to do it in 2020 as it will be my 40th year and I have time to raise a higher figure for the hospital.
"I am very humbled by the generosity and support I have received prior, during and after reaching the summit itself."
Mr Stokes was supported by his family business John Stokes Ltd. To make sure he was at his optimum fitness level, he had one-on-one training each week with former Irish bouldering champion Jonny Argue, based at Boulder Central in West Bromwich, and he also underwent personal training.
Anyone who wants to help Mr Stokes achieve his new goal for Burton Hospitals NHS Trust Charitable Fund can still do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Thomas-Stokes3
Mont Blanc factfile
Mont Blanc, meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps and rises 4,808m (15,774ft) above sea level.
The mountain lies in a range called the Graian Alps, between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France. The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc was on August 8, 1786, by Jacques Balmat and doctor Michel Paccard. This climb traditionally marks the start of modern mountaineering.
The first woman to reach the summit was Marie Paradis in 1808. In 1886, future US President Theodore Roosevelt led an expedition to the peak.
Nowadays the summit is ascended by an average of 20,000 mountaineer-tourists each year.
In 1946 a drilling project was started to carve a tunnel through the mountain. The Mont Blanc tunnel would connect Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy and become one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes between the two countries. In 1965 the tunnel opened to vehicle traffic with a length of 7.215 miles.
In 1999 a transport truck caught fire in the tunnel beneath the mountain. In total 39 people were killed when the fire raged out of control. The tunnel was renovated in the aftermath to increase driver safety, reopening after three years.
