Two doughty climbers with a combined age of 118 have raised £4,300 for the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre, Norfolk - after scaling Mount Kilimanjaro for the cause.

Hilary Cox, 65, former chairman of Norfolk County Council, and fellow Cromer resident Barry Foulser, 53, were part of a group which trekked up to eight hours each day to reach the summit, at 19,341ft, of Africa's highest mountain.

County councillor Mrs Cox, who had a replacement knee operation earlier in the year, said: 'It was tough, very intense and a memorable experience. The view from the top was absolutely fantastic.

'My knee held up extremely well. The worst thing was trying to get in and out of the tents!'

The challenge had been accountant Mr Foulser's idea. He has family and friends who are affected by multiple sclerosis.

But sadly he was forced to stop on the final push to the summit on the orders of the group's doctor because he had become disorientated by altitude sickness in the -20deg Celsius conditions, with 40-50mph winds.

Mrs Cox said he hoped to try the top again on a return visit. She added that she had suffered badly with altitude sickness five years ago when she trekked to Base Camp at Mount Everest.

In order to guard against a repeat experience, she had begun deep breathing exercises about three months before the Kilimanjaro expedition. The technique had worked and she had not had any trouble.