A BRIERLEY Hill based college lecturer scaled new heights for a charity close to his heart when he took on Africa’s highest peak.

Steve Woollock, a carpentry and joinery lecturer at Stourbridge College’s Advanced Technology Centre in Brierley Hill succesfully completed a gruelling six-day trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The adventurous mentor raised £4,000 for The Prostate Cancer Charity by reaching the 5,895m peak which stands five and a half times higher than Mount Snowdon in Wales.

Mr Woollock, aged 42, from Sutton Coldfield, said reaching the summit proved a “mixture of sadness and celebration” as one of the climbers in the group died as a result of altitude sickness.

He added: “The ascent was a lot tougher than I thought it would be with six days of between six and 14 hours of constant trekking uphill.

“I’d like to thank everyone who supported me in my efforts, including staff and students at Stourbridge College.

“My aim was to raise £4,000 in total through a variety of small events in the run up to the big event and I’m really pleased to have achieved both goals.”

He said he decided to support The Prostate Cancer Charity as a number of friends and family members have been affected by the disease.