A Carmarthenshire firefighter is set to climb Mount Everest.
Rhys Fitzgerald, an on-call firefighter at Kidwelly Fire Station for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, is preparing to tackle the world's highest peak.
The firefighter is set to take on the 8,848m summit in 2025.
In preparation for the challenge, Mr Fitzgerald has set himself a series of events and goals to achieve.
This includes visiting the Altitude Centre in London to acclimatise himself and taking part in 10 y Fan, the Welsh Three Peaks (Yr Wyddfa, Cadair Idris, and Pen y Fan), and the Three Peaks Challenge (Yr Wyddfa, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis) - all in firefighting kit.
Mr Fitzgerald is also self-funding and currently taking part in another climb on Ama Dablam, a 6,182m high mountain in the Koshi Province of Nepal, to prepare himself for the final climb of his fundraising efforts.
He is taking on the challenge to help promote the benefits that spending time in the outdoors can have on mental and physical health and well-being, as well as raising funds and awareness of three worthy causes.
Mr Fitzgerald has chosen to support The Fire Fighters Charity, Mind, and The Nimsdai Foundation.
The Fire Fighters Charity provides lifelong support to serving and retired firefighters and their families, Mind provides information, support, and campaigns for people with mental health problems, and The Nimsdai Foundation works to clear rubbish left on mountains in the Himalayas from previous expeditions as well as supporting the ‘unsung heroes of the mountains,' the Everest Base Camp Trail’s Porters.
Mr Fitzgerald said: "Being outdoors has helped me massively over the years with my own mental health and I want to share those experiences with others and help people through their own challenges.
"I have chosen my nominated charities as they all do fantastic work in providing support to people when it’s most needed and having been a firefighter for several years, I know how important it is to speak out to your colleagues, friends, and family.
"I’ve found that escaping into the fresh air and exploring the outdoors really helps me and my hobby has now led me to pushing myself physically and mentally to spread awareness on mental health."
A spokesperson for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "Everyone at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service wishes Rhys the best of luck in completing his challenge."
Mr Fitzgerald is currently fundraising through a GoFundMe page, with all donations set to be split between covering the cost of the expedition as well as being donated to his chosen charities.
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