A WEST Wight man suffered a painful injury towards the end of a gruelling endurance challenge with television presenter Phil Spencer to raise money for a variety of charities.

Rupert MacInnes, of Yarmouth, the chief counsel for Capital One UK, was a member of the five-man Team BlackLine which took part in the Everest in the Alps 2019 Endurance Challenge.

The team travelled to the Alps where they had to climb the 8,848m vertical height of Everest on skis, which had artificial skins on their bases to grip the snow, in just four days.

Rupert's team included Phil of Channel 4's Location, Location, Location, as well three other Hampshire fathers who were raising money for charities close to their hearts.

Rupert said: "We encountered constant adversity with changeable weather conditions from blistering sun to freezing gale force winds and white out blizzards.

"We had kit failure; bloody blisters; sleep deprivation; exhausting 12-hour days on skis; sleeping at 2,500m; and a daily burn of about 10,000 calories, the equivalent of three back-to-back marathons.

"Unfortunately, I did not manage to complete the ascent because, with less that 2,000 metres to climb, I had a bad fall on the final day and badly damaged my knee.

"The injury will probably take surgery and nine months for me to recover.

"It was no walk in the park, but I loved every minute of it and feel privileged to have been able to take part and raise much needed funds to support some great causes."

So far, the team has raised £60,000 for their charities. Rupert's is The Anaphylaxis Campaign, which provides support to severe allergy sufferers and their families.

His daughter, Rose, 13, has suffered from allergies to nuts and sesame since 2006 and is currently under the care of the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Centre in Newport.

To find out more, or to support Rupert’s efforts, log on to www.justgiving.com/companyteams/teamblackline.