Roy Tudor Hughes, the Oxfordshire county councillor planning to be the oldest Brit ever to climb Everest, is preparing himself for the final assault on the summit.

He has been at base camp at 17,000 feet for two weeks since setting off from Oxfordshire in March. He has spent time getting to know the team climbing with him, which includes a Frenchman planning to snowboard down the mountain.

Mr Tudor Hughes, 62, of Dorchester-on-Thames, near Wallingford, wants to be the oldest Briton ever to stand on the "roof of the world".

Speaking from base camp he said: "I am trying to pack in as much carbohydrate as possible because at these heights you use up energy very quickly. The only trouble is that I lose appetite at altitude!"

He hopes the weather will be good enough for him to try for the summit at the end of May. His first climb was Mont Blanc with the help of his friend and renowned mountain guide Fred Harper.

Mr Harper has since died of cancer. And it is in his memory that Mr Tudor Hughes is doing the climb to raise money for the Fred Harper Trust which will give financial help to young British men and women undergoing mountain guiding apprenticeships.