An Aldershot solicitor and his teenage son conquered the highest peak in Africa to raise more than £60,000 for charity.

David Pinto and his 19-year-old son Henry battled aching calves and altitude sickness to complete the 19,340ft trek up Kilimanjaro and raise £61,836 for the Oliver Foundation, which helps deprived communities in South Africa.

The pair joined a team of six others made up of Mr Pinto's friends, who were led through a rainforest by a team of experts before being guided up the mountain.

Mr Pinto, whose business Pinto Potts LLP Solicitors is based in High Street, Aldershot, said: "We reached the summit at around 3pm on October 27 after seven-and-a-half days.

"It only took about a day-and-a-half to come down because each 500 feet you are getting more and more oxygen and you feel stronger and better."

The 53-year-old, whose 17-year old-daughter Georgina attends Wellington College in Crowthorne where Henry was also a former pupil, said the team was particularly lucky with the weather during their challenge.

"Awesome"

Mr Pinto, of Galleys Hill in Church Crookham, said: "We didn’t get a spot of rain on us.

"It rained for the entire week before we got there.

"We could see huge pot holes in unmade roads full of water where vehicles had driven along them.

"The people helping us on the trek said we were really lucky because sometimes they had taken people up and you can’t see a thing but the views when we got to the top of mountain were awesome."

Mr Pinto plans to travel out to South Africa with Chris Oliver who completed the trek with him and Mr Oliver’s wife Sharon who set up the Oliver Foundation, to see first hand how the money will benefit communities.

He said: "At one point during the climb when we were all feeling a bit down Chris handed us some envelopes with letters from some of the children who the charity has helped.

"They said they knew what we were doing and they thought it was fantastic and really appreciated it.

"It was very inspirational and lifted us.

"It brought a huge lump to the throat.

"This was a once in a lifetime thing and a great experience."