Married pair on top of the world

Phil and Pauline Sanderson are resting after the challenge

A husband and wife from Strathspey have become the first married couple from the UK to conquer Everest.

Phil and Pauline Sanderson, who work at Glenmore Lodge Outdoor Centre, near Aviemore, reached the 29,028ft peak at 0600 BST on Thursday.

Mrs Sanderson, 41, is one of five people to make the world's longest climb after starting off from the Dead Sea - the lowest point on Earth.

The couple are on their way back down to Camp III for a rest.

Mr and Mrs Sanderson, from Grantown-on-Spey, are with the Everestmax Expedition.

Unlike her husband, Mrs Sanderson is not a professional climber and works in administration at the lodge as its marketing manager.

Tandem paraglider

However, as a member of a team of five, she has completed a gruelling venture to make the longest climb from the Dead Sea - a total ascent of approximately 30,250 feet.

The team cycled from Jordan through Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Nepal, China and finally Tibet, where Mrs Sanderson was joined by her 39-year-old husband.

Everestmax, whose patron is Sir Ranulph Fiennes, is raising money for three charities that support causes in the developing world - SOS Children's Villages, Practical Action Bicycle Ambulances and Merlin, a medical emergency organisation.

The first married couple to reach the summit of Everest together were Slovenians Andrej and Marija Stremfelj in 1990.

A French couple, Roche Bertand and Claire Bernier Roche, reached the summit in 2001 and descended together in a tandem paraglider.