A DEAF man has completed the first of a series of charity challenges as he bids to help raise thousands for charity.

Steve Bell, of George Lane in South Woodford, made it to the top of England's highest peak – Scafell Pike - on Sunday, August 1.

The 29-year-old took on the tough task with fellow deaf fundraisers Dominique Conte and Ross Grant.

The trio completed the climb in aid of the Dominique Conte Foundation, which provides support for hearing impaired children and young people in Hertfordshire.

Mr Bell, who has a cochlear implant, was diagnosed with hearing loss aged two and with tinnitus in his early teens, but this did not prevent him from studying business at university and travelling across America and the Far East.

The intrepid climbers scaled the 3,209ft peak, and returned to the bottom, in nine hours.

Mr Bell met Miss Conte when both were volunteering at the National Society for Deaf Children.

He knew he wanted to support he charity after he first heard about it.

Mr Bell, who works for the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) in its sensory services department in Woodford Green, said: "It was a fantastic and enjoyable experience which included camping at a local farm in Borrowdale."

"It was a tough challenge and had to overcome regular outbursts of rain thoughout the climb and also it was very cold at the top.

"The toughest part was when I had to scramble up the side of the mountain near the top and it felt like every advance I made I wasn't getting anywhere. It was tough going but we made it together."

Mr Bell said visibility was a problem the higher they advanced but once they had completed the challenge they celebrated with a pub meal and a well-earned beer.

Mr Bell, who raised more than £600, is now preparing and training for cycling the South Downs Way in East Sussex on September 20.

Visit www.12months12chellanges.org to find out more about Mr Bell's upcoming challenges.