'Indoor Everest' record is beaten

Well-wishers cheered Mr Allcock on during the challenge

A student has succeeded in beating the world record time for climbing the height of Mount Everest for charity.

Ben Allcock, aged 22, completed the challenge on an indoor climbing wall at Oxford Brookes University in five hours 48 minutes on Saturday.

The previous record for the ascent of 10,663ft (3,250m), about the distance between Base Camp One and the summit, was eight hours and ten minutes.

The money Mr Allcock raised is to go to the Association for the Blind (OAB).

The climber told BBC News: "It was amazing to have people cheering me on.

"The training changed many things which were previously a hobby into a task and so it's great to have been able to undergo that task and get it all out the way."

He added that he had already raised £1,000 for the OAB, a figure which he is hopes to rise considerably.