AN adventurous 10-year-old from Crosby Ravensworth took on a 4,000m-high mountain to raise money for children who do not have access to insulin.

Although Neev Renton, who is a type 1 diabetic herself, did not manage to reach the summit of Dôme de neige des Écrins in the French Alps, she was positive about the experience.

“I love being in the mountains - I just enjoyed all of it really,”she said.

“I met some friends, one of them was half-American, half-German, and her name was Sophie, she was really nice.”

Neev, who goes to Crosby Ravensworth Primary, has been taking on challenges for ‘Action4Diabetes’ since she was six-years-old.

Action4Diabetes is a charity which provides medicines and support to young people with Type 1 Diabetes in Southeast Asia.

Neev’s fundraising efforts have included walks in the Peak District as well as a cycle of a stage of the Tour de France. To date, she has raised around £8,000, including around £1,500 on this particular trip.

Her father, Alister Renton, said the climb in the French Alps was “by far the most physically demanding” of Neev’s challenges so far, adding his daughter had spent a long time preparing for the journey, doing “a lot of quick ascents, a lot of running”.

Mr Renton explained that, en route to the summit of the mountain, he and his daughter encountered an ice fall which was too dangerous to attempt, so they had to turn back.

A third adventurer had to pull out of the expedition following surgery and Neev’s mother, Jane, said to navigate the ice fall by abseiling was too dangerous to attempt without the extra person.

Mr Renton described being “immensely proud” of his daughter, adding that if circumstances were different, she would have had “no problem” reaching the summit.

“She’s very aware that the care that is provided to her through the NHS, and access to insulin and insulin pumps, essentially keep her alive,” he said.

“She has easy access to it in the UK. That’s not the same for other people around the world. She’s quite a caring girl.”

The pair, who reached around 3,300m this time round, plan to try again next year.