A 13-year-old has completed a virtual climb of Mount Everest after finding out his scout trip was cancelled due to the pandemic.

James Lyon, of 13th Wimbledon, decided to climb the worlds highest mountain (above sea level), after originally being tasked with Mount Snowdon by his scout leader.

The challenge was a part of the 'climb every mountain challenge' which aimed to see which mountains scouts could climb during lockdown.

To start with, scouts were challenged to climb; Leith Hill in Surrey, then Snowdon, Ben Nevis, Mount Fuji and Kilimanjaro.

Determined to go further, James pushed himself to climb Mount Everest, which took 2903 trips up and down his stairs.

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Speaking to Wimbledon Guardian, James Lyon, said: "I started out climbing Mount Snowdon as we missed out on our yearly trip to the mountain due to lockdown.

"I just kept climbing up higher and higher peaks until Chris, one of our Leaders, challenged me to get to the summit of Everest on the same day as Sir Edmond Hillary.

"I was pleased that I was able to reach the summit as it was a lot of fun, but also a lot of hard work and a good way to stay fit without leaving the house."

Scout Leader, Peter Hutton, said: “Scouting is about encouraging a sense of adventure and building resilience so you can meet the many challenges life throws at you.

"We are very proud of all the scouts who have responded to our challenges, at times producing some quite outstanding performances and doing so with good humour and a sense of fun”.

A few scouts are still making their way up Snowdon, seven have gone beyond Ben Nevis and two more are approaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.