Armed forces veteran to conquer Everest for Chestnut Tree House

Simon Poland, 39, will be climbing Everest next November, in a daring bid to raise money for Chestnut Tree House.

A former soldier in the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment who won a Queen's Commendation for Bravery, Mr Poland now runs a commercial and domestic cleaning business called South Coast Cleaning and Property Care. He said the idea for the climb emerged from a desire to 'put some good back in the world.'

"I've raised money for Chestnut Tree House before, I think they do some fantastic work," he said. "I wanted to push myself a little bit more, and raise some awareness of what they do. I thought it would be nice to do something positive with Covid happening and stuff."

Mr Poland, who lives in Littlehampton but often works in Bognor Regis, aims to climb up to Camp 2 in Mount Everest. At an impressive 22,000 feet, it might not be the peak of the mountain, but it'll nonetheless demand a lot of technical skill and physical determination, something Mr Poland - who served tours in Afghanistan and Northern Ireland - hopes his time in the army will help him with.

"Because of the lock down it was hard train, I couldn't get out to Wales and places like that. So instead, I've been going to Portsdown Hill in Portsmouth and walking over it after work. I was quite fortunate this summer because I was able to get out to Tenerife, so I got some training done out there. I've been training in the gym as well, so I feel quite ready. Where I'm ex-military, I think I've got a bit of drive in myself and I want to put some good back in the world."

Originally scheduled to go this November, Mr Poland's expedition was postponed until next year, so he has already raised £5,000 for Chestnut Tree House, which provides vital care for children with life-limiting conditions, and he wants to get that number as big as possible before next year's trip.

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