'Nursing has given me strength to take on Everest'

A woman is climbing Mount Everest as part of a challenge to summit seven of the world's highest peaks, and aims to shine a light on the strength of nurses.

Rowena Rowberry, 34, is a nurse and lecturer in nursing at the University of Derby, and hopes to scale the world's highest mountain by the end of May.

"I think nursing builds up a lot of strength in you, physically and psychologically, which is a huge thing when you're doing high-altitude mountaineering," she said.

Rowena, from Hatton in Derbyshire, has already climbed three mountains, starting with Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in January 2024 which she described as "an impulse decision".

Rowena says she is aiming to raise money for the Royal College of Nursing Foundation and to shine a light on the hardships of nursing.

"I think I'm still a little bit in denial, and I have been on every mountain that I've climbed," she said.

"There will be a point where I'm facing the harsh realities of Mount Everest where I think 'what am I doing":[]}