Brave mum Nicola Aslam and her son, Olly Mooney, are planning an awe-inspiring charity adventure to base camp on Mount Everest to raise money for the John Eastwood Hospice.

They want to thank the hospice for its compassionate care of Olly’s father, Peter Mooney, who lost his battle against cancer in July 2022.

Olly said it took Peter under its wing to ensure he lived out his last days comfortable and happy.

“For them to carry on doing what they are doing, it is important for us to raise money,” he added. “All the money raised through donations, will go straight to the John Eastwood Hospice Trust because we are funding the trek ourselves.”

Olly and Nicola, of Mansfield, are no strangers to fundraising challenges in the mountains. They both took on Ben Nevis in Scotland two years ago (pictured top) in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society, while in 2010 Nicola trekked to the ancient Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, Peru, raising funds for the British Heart Foundation as a thank-you for treatment she received after suffering a heart attack in 2004.

Now they plan to seize every opportunity they get to go on 10 to 15-mile walks in the Peak District, ahead of their big challenge.

Olly Mooney and his mum, Nicola Aslam, with Olly’s dad, Peter Mooney, and his daughters, Zara (front) and Erin.

They will also be taking part in camp training sessions in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire as part of preparations to warm up for the freezing, 80-mile round-trip trek to Everest South Base Camp, Nepal.

“My mum came to me wanting to do Everest Base Camp before she hung up her walking boots,” said Olly, explaining that Nicola will be 68 by the time they set off on 9th September.

The trek will involve eight days hiking over tough terrain in challenging weather to reach the base camp.

Each day the duo will tackle between four and seven hours of steep climbing and spend at least two nights at 5,000 metres above sea level in sub-zero temperatures.

“At night you have to keep your battery packs in your sleeping bags because they can freeze,” added Olly, founder and director of Mansfield-based web design, ecommerce, and digital marketing business dijitul.

“There is also the risk of altitude sickness. Oxygen levels are around only 50%, so we have to take our time to allow our bodies to get used to it.”

Olly Mooney and his mum, Nicola Aslam, after they completed a Ben Nevis trek for the Alzheimer’s Society two years ago,

Despite this, the mother and son feel strongly that the challenging and arduous journey is worthwhile to raise awareness and donations for the hospice, which provided a homely haven for Peter.

“The staff were very warm and welcoming. They were compassionate and allowed my dad to stay for as long as he needed to, Olly said.

“They were absolutely amazing and couldn’t have done more to help. That’s why we decided to try to raise money for them.”

Although Peter and Nicola separated many years ago, Olly said his parents retained a great relationship and remained friends.

Nicola, who is retired, now works part-time at Morrisons. She thanked her husband, Ollie Aslam, who has paid for her share of the trek and is buying most of her kit.

“My mum was my rock through the whole thing and she helped me so much with dad’s care during his last few years,” added Olly.

“We understand the cost of living is difficult for some and we are grateful and open to donations of any kind, be it money through our JustGiving page — or unwanted household items and clothing being given directly to the charity to enable it to support other families and individuals in the future, in the same way that they brought a peaceful end-of-life period for dad.”

To make a donation go to www.justgiving.com/page/olly-and-niki-climb-everest-bc

Anyone wanting to find out more about the services of the John Eastwood Hospice should go to www.johneastwoodhospice.org.uk