A south Norfolk man climbed Britain's highest mountains to raise thousands of pounds for a charity close to his heart.

Jonathan Powell assembled a team of nine friends from Norfolk and Suffolk to conquer Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the north west of England, and Snowdon in Wales, in the space of 24 hours to raise money for Sparks 4 Hearts.

The 34-year-old, who lives in Starston, near Harleston, decided to help the Norfolk Heart Trust as a result of the heart problems his father has faced over the last three years.

His dad, John Powell, suffers from a faulty valve in his heart and misfiring electrical pathways and has already had two procedures at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire to stop his heart from misfiring.

So far, the three peaks challenge, which took place on August 5 and 6, has raised more than �3,500 for Sparks 4 Hearts, which aims to buy a piece of equipment for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to treat rapid heart rhythms in Norfolk.

Mr Powell added that out of the 10 walkers who started the mountain trek, only seven managed to complete the course.

'It was tough, but it is highly rewarding and everyone got a real sense of achievement. There were a couple who did not complete it in 24 hours, but they were still buzzing afterwards,' he said.

The other participants were Debbie Barrett, Kristoff Barrett, James Beadle, Gary Allard, Lee Nelson, Jack Burden, Bllade Bye, Karen Smith and Richard Washington.

The group also received support from Hammond Group Commercial Vehicles and Spectra Packaging, which are both based in Halesworth Suffolk.