A North Yorkshire woman successfully climbed the highest free-standing mountain in the world to help raise funds for cancer research and in memory of her dad.

Jane Thornton, from Northallerton, took on Mount Kilimanjaro in June and managed to raise £170 for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

She also completed the momentous climb in memory of her dad who passed away from cancer 10 years ago.

Found in East Arica, the mountain is an immense 5,895 metres above sea level, making the it the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

Ms Thornton said it was something she had “always wanted to do,” and that she likes to “set herself big challenges.”

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She added: “When the opportunity finally came along, I couldn’t wait to put my name down.”

Being a “Yorkshire lass” Ms Thornton wanted to give something back and chose cancer research in her region.

She added: “I wanted to give something back and hopefully help other families who are going through cancer.”

She completed the journey alongside 37 other climbers and the group was led by two UK guides and accompanied by 130 local porters.

To reach the peak of Kilimanjaro, a point known as the Uhuru peak, the group trekked for five days, averaging around eight hours of walking a day.

Ms Thornton said: “It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done. On the final day you set off for the summit at 11 o’clock at night, and then you trek through the night to get to the top for sunrise.

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“The feeling when we reached the top was just incredible, it made it all worthwhile. Everyone was hugging each other, and we just couldn’t believe we’d done it.”

The funds raised will go towards life-saving research to help prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer in Yorkshire.

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