Meet the Northampton charity worker who is taking on the mammoth challenge of climbing the equivalent of Everest on her stairs

A charity worker is getting ready to climb Mount Everest… on her stairs at her home in Northampton.

Steph Steward will dedicate her long Easter weekend to climbing her stairs nearly 4,000 in a bid to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The 33-year-old, who is a fundraiser for the charity, was inspired to take on the climb after someone living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) walked 500m in his garden and cycled 1km on a static bike.

Steph said: “For him, that is a huge achievement as he struggles to walk.

“When I saw that he had done that and raised nearly £6,000, I thought I need to do something equally as crazy. It really spurred me on.

“We could stand to lose a third of our income so we were just thinking about crazy ideas that people can safely do from home. Our supporters want to keep doing things.

“This was one of the ideas and people were talking about Ben Nevis and Snowdonia, but I’m going to do Everest - the biggest one.”

Steph has 13 stairs in her home in Moulton, so climbing the equivalent of Everest equates to 3,871 flights of stairs, but that does not include getting back to the bottom.

She added: “It’s about 100,000 steps up and down.

“I will be doing more than Everest with the stairs coming down, but I only wanted to count the upwards stairs."

While taking on the gruelling stair-climbing challenge, Steph will be raising money for the charity so it can continue to support those affected by the disease during the pandemic.

“It’s a really difficult time for everyone and for charities and I know how much this situation will affect them, but those with MND needs don’t stop,” Steph said.

“They are one of the vulnerable groups for coronavirus and just because they’re in isolation doesn’t mean their needs with condition stop.

“It’s not an easy task, but we’re trying to contact every single person we are in contact with to check on them.

“They need that support and all we can do is be there for them, but without funds being raised we can’t do that best job.

“I just wanted to take some action and do everything I can.”

Steph is expecting the total climb to take between six and eight hours.

She said: “I will spread it out over the four days and do about 25,000 steps every day and take regular breaks.

“It sounds achievable if you’re walking or running but the thought of doing it going up and down stairs is freaking me out.”

As well as having her husband Steve for support and family and friends who have said they will call, Steph is planning to put signs in her windows to tell people what she is doing so they can wave.

A number of Steph’s colleagues are also taking part in similar challenges over the weekend.

“It’s quite nice to know that I’m part of a community of people doing it all together,” Steph added.

“We’ll support each other and video call as well.”

To sponsor Steph in her huge Easter weekend challenge, visit her JustGiving page.

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