Cabinetmaker Fred Corbett will be embarking on the challenge of a lifetime, when he sets off on a trek to Everest base camp in aid of a memorial fund for a young epilepsy victim.
His epic adventure will be on what would have been the 24th birthday of the Cromer High School student Ellen Mezzetti who died from seizure aged just 16 in 2006.
Her family and friends have raised more than £60,000 for a fund set up in Ellen's memory in aid of the national charity Epilepsy Research UK.
Mr Corbett, a member of Ellen's dad John's Fighting Fit gym at Cromer gym and a former Cromer High School student, was keen to help out.
'I have known John for a long time, he has been a good friend and he does a lot for other people through the gym and martial arts,' he said.
As well as attending martial arts classes at Fighting Fit with his son David, 14, Mr Corbett – a Hap Kido black belt - has been preparing for his 18-day trek by using a running machine while wearing an altitude mask loaned to him by Mr Mezzetti.
'It looks like an old fashioned gas mask, so I've had a few funny looks while I've been on the jogger,' Mr Corbett, 48, said.
'But Everest base camp is at an altitude of more than 5,000 metres, so I'm hoping it will help me acclimatise.'
Mr Corbett, who lives at West Runton and has a workshop at Bodham, has so far raised more than £300 towards his £1,000 target. While he is looking forward to setting off on his trip on September 25, he admits to being slightly apprehensive about travelling alone.
'I am quite a reserved person so, for me, it will be a challenge spending nearly two weeks with people I have never met,' he said.
Other events in for Ellen's fund have ranged from fun days and a charity ball to a Land's End to John O'Groats bike ride Ellen's Uncle Joey, and a trek through the Grand Canyon by her mum Lynne.
Mr Mezzetti thanked all those who had supported the Ellen Mezzetti Memorial Fund.
'We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of people like Fred, it has certainly made our lives that little bit easier,' he said.
To support Fred Corbett's Everest base camp trek, visit www.virginmoneygiving.com or call in at Fighting Fit Martial Arts and Fitness Academy, Louden Road, Cromer.
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