A SEDBERGH dad of two girls is heading to the Himalayas in his bid to make the world "a little bit more accepting" of children with autism.

Alex Barratt has set his sights on the snow and ice-covered summit of 20,305-feet (6,189m) Island Peak, in eastern Nepal.

World-famous explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE has "graciously agreed" to be patron of the three-week expedition this spring.

Alex's eight-year-old daughter Sienna has high-functioning autism. She attends Sedbergh Primary School with sister Teagan, aged ten. Mum, Joane, and Alex are expecting their third child.

Alex, 40, a photographer and creative director of Sedbergh-based design company Lush Creative, told the Gazette: "Sienna faces a struggle every day with the little things you and I take for granted.

"I would never want to change anything about Sienna; I feel privileged to be able to glimpse the world from her unique angle. However, I would like to change the way the world sees her and other children affected by autism."

Island Peak is an extension of the south ridge of Lhotse, the world's fourth highest mountain. Known locally as Imje Tse, it is said to appear as a towering island in a sea of ice and was first climbed in 1953 by the British Everest team,

The party of four - led by Alex and local guide Shankar Panday, with two Sherpas - will embark on their trek during World Autism Awareness Week 2018 (March 26-April 2).

They expect to take 11 days to reach Everest Base Camp, with rest days along the way. The summit attempt is an Alpine PD+ (somewhat difficult) grade climb with fixed ropes. The team plans to acclimatise slowly and to climb 5,600m Kala Patthar en route, said to give some of the best views of Everest.

To reach Island Peak's summit by midday on April 17, the climbers must leave high camp around 2am and negotiate an exposed traverse onto the Imja glacier's base; a glacier crossing with crampons, ice axes and rope; a 350-feet (100m) snow and ice-covered headwall; and finally a 450-feet traverse along a sharp summit ridge.

Alex, a keen scuba diver, told the Gazette he wanted to face a challenge just as Sienna did every day. "I felt I needed to shout my message of autism acceptance from the top of the world, or at least as close to the top as I could get."

He is funding the entire venture himself, with donations going directly to the National Autistic Society. "I'm not a mountaineer or an athlete," he added, "I'm just a dad that loves his children and wants to make the world a little bit more of an accepting environment for them to grow up in."

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alex-barratt1