A BRYNHOFFNANT building contractor who has suffered from type 1 diabetes since he was 15 years old is planning to climb a Himalayan peak for charity.

Dad-of-four Deri Brown, 39, will be among a team attempting to summit a 20,000-foot mountain called Stok Kangri in the Indian Himalayas and will be raising funds for Diabetes UK Research

“In the last 24 years I have seen a lot of changes in the treatment of diabetes, and the treatments that are available now are streets ahead of what they were when I was first diagnosed,” he said.

“All these advancements are the result of research carried out by such organisations as Diabetes UK Research which is largely funded by charitable donations.

“As a person with diabetes myself I feel the need to give something back for all the help I have with treating my diabetes and being able to live a ‘normal’ life.

“So why not climb a Himalayan mountain?

“I have always wanted to. I feel the need to push myself and see if I work at altitude.

“And I want to raise money for a cause that is close to my heart.”

On 1 September, Deri flies to India to take on Stok Kangri, the highest mountain in the Stok range of the Himalayas in the Ladakh region of northwest India.