TWO pals from East Lancashire fought through tears, meltdowns, falls and aches to scale the summit of Africa’s highest mountain.

Wayne Ellison and Derek Russell reached Kilimanjaro’s 5,895 metre high peak last week after five gruelling days of climbing.

Mr Russell, from Clitheroe, said: “The words hard and tough do not do the effort justice. It was relentless, tiring beyond belief, and it tested everyone physically, mentally and emotionally. But somehow we made it to the top.”

A group of 14 fundraisers along with the hospital’s head of community fundraising and a specialist guide trekked for five days, ascending over 1,400 metres, before they reached Uhuru Peak at sunrise.

It was here, the pair say, they were met with the most incredible views they had ever seen in their lives.

But their battle wasn’t over yet, with Mr Russell saying that getting to the top of the mountain was only half the battle.

He said: “Having got up there, we then had to get off and back to civilisation. The big difference was that we took nearly five-and-half days to get to the top, but just one day to get down.

“For me personally that was by far the hardest part; walking over 15 miles, and descending over 4,000 metres was so tough. I have never been in so much pain, so exhausted and so pleased to see a finish line in my life.”

Mr Ellison, 52, from Gisburn, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has supported us."

Mr Russell added that his friendship with Mr Ellison was now stronger than ever since returning home from the trip.

He said: “You do not share a relatively small tent on the side of a seriously high mountain, often in sub-zero temperatures, and not face challenges. I do not think we had one cross word or disagreed on anything throughout the 10 days we were away from home.

“More importantly we now both have 14 new 'best friends'. The group was incredibly diverse, but we bonded immediately.

"It was such a privilege to accompany such a wonderful, warm hearted, genuine and compassionate bunch of people."

The friends raised £14,000 through their efforts.

Mr Russell has been raising funds for Alder Hey for many years since his granddaughter Lillian Florence, who died at six days old, was treated there.

The whole group raised an estimated £100,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.