WHEN Tim Titmarsh agreed to join his friend Keith Gallois on a charity trek, he thought he had signed up to walk from Ely to Mepal.

Little did he know however, that Keith had much grander plans than a walk across the Fens and the duo would actually be trekking from Ely to Nepal, and up more than 17,000 feet to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

The intrepid duo are now in intensive training for the epic feat and are hoping to raise some �8,000 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and the Arthur Rank Hospice.

Keith, 47, from Witchford, said: “Health wise I’ve been unlucky. A badly broken leg was followed a few years later by a stint in Addenbrooke’s Hospital with diverticulitis, and then to cap it all a stroke.

“But, eh, that is all in the past. Those events, and more crucially the brain haemorrhage and consequent recovery of my wife Lesley, have proved one thing – life is short, so live it.

“So why Everest? Saying “because it’s there” sounds a bit clich�d. But that is partially the answer. If you are going to go for a walk, make it a big one.

“I’m over-weight and unfit and am at a stage in life where, if I don’t put things right now, I’m going to suffer with health in later years. If you can’t get fit for Everest, what can you get fit for?”

The pair, who met through community choir Witchford Voices, will start the three-week trek in October 2013, flying from Ely to Kathmandu before embarking on a trek through the wilds of Nepal.

They will then ascend the 17,000 to Everest Base Camp before climbing Kala Patthar, a jay-dropping 18,200ft above sea level.

Tim, 56, from Ely, said: When Keith first asked me to go on a jaunt with him I thought he said Ely to Mepal, I thought I could probably manage that and by the time I had signed up I realised I had misheard him and he had said Ely to Nepal!

“Although I will be the senior member of this dynamic duo my job keeps me reasonably fit but I am fully aware that I shall have to train very hard for the challenge ahead.”

For more details on the challenge or to make a donation, visit: www.elytoeverest.com or see: www.justgiving.com/elytoeverest.