AN AVID walker is hoping to complete a monumental challenge on his sixtieth birthday in order to raise money for mountain rescue teams.


John Wright, from Kendal, is attempting to walk all 214 Wainwrights in a year and he only has 22 to go.


The 59-year-old is hoping to take his last stroll on his birthday, which also happens to be Christmas Day, and he has chosen Loughrigg as it is small enough to get up and down 'and get back in time for dinner' with his wife, Elizabeth, and two sons Jonathan, 23, and Thomas, 26.


John, who moved to Kendal in 1985 and now runs amanagement development company, is aiming to raise money for The Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, the umbrella body for the region's 12 emergency teams. 


He said: "I used to be a member of a mountain rescue team when I lived in Wales and I almost needed them when I cracked a couple of ribs after I fell on Tarn Crag above Grasmere back in June, but I managed to get myself down.


"It's nice to give money to something local - it's all voluntary and they get called out all times in any weather."


The combined 550km walk is no mean feat, but John is not a stranger to extreme challenges.


He has twice sailed across the Atlantic, once in 1978 and then again in 2010 before sailing from Bermuda to Iceland last year.


His ramblings have taken him to all corners of the Lake District, with his favourite walks being around Wasdale and Scafell Pike.


"As well as getting out with my friends and family it's taken me to parts of the Lakes that I have never been to," the former Outward Bound instructor said.


"Some of the smaller peaks that I didn't bother with in the past have some of the best views - it's been a good experience."


John also works as a sailing instructor on Windermere and a fell guide for tourists.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/WrightsWainwrights/