Man set to climb Mont Blanc hoping to raise almost £5k for Dunstable foodbank

A Dunstable man is taking to the heights next month to raise funds for the foodbank.

Jon Watkeys is hoping to raise more than £4,800 for Dunstable Foodbank by climbing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, which stands at 4,807 metres above sea level.

The 37-year-old said: “I'm not a mountaineer but to have the chance to stand on top of the tallest mountain in the Alps and all of western Europe just really grabbed me. I just thought it would also be a great way to raise funds for a worthy local charity, one that's close to my heart since my wife works there and I hear all the incredible things they do to support Dunstable and Houghton Regis and people in need.”

He started his mountaineering journey last May when he completed the Yorkshire three peaks.

"Since then I have been doing hikes every weekend with my backpack filled with about 11kg of weight,” he said.

“I'm also doing daily stair climbs at work. I've also been away in Wales for a week hiking some of the mountains there, including Snowdon. On the weekend of May 26, I'm climbing Ben Nevis and Scarfell Pike to complete all three national peaks as training for Mont Blanc.”

He flies out on June 11 to join a small team of mountaineers and guides who will climb Italy’s tallest mountain Gran Paradiso to get some training in and acclimatise to the altitude. The aim will be to start the climb of Mont Blanc on Thursday, June 15 and be on the summit on Friday.

Jon was born in Wales and moved to Dunstable 11 years ago where he works as a UX manager and buyer for Savers Health & Beauty Ltd, based in Woodside estate. His wife Jemma is the operations manager for Dunstable Foodbank.

He said: “I've never done anything quite like this before. I've raised money for charities by running Tough Mudders but this is the biggest and most dangerous adventure I've ever undertaken. The motivation of raising money for the foodbank is keeping me excited and the donations already received are appreciated so much! It's driving my determination to succeed!”

To support the climb go to his GoFundMe page.