45-year-old Robert Bray, of Berkeley Street, Eynesbury, is a brave cancer survivor who – having been diagnosed with a rare of form of stomach cancer in 2007, and now receiving an ‘all clear’ from the doctors – is set to fight against the odds to climb 5,895 metres to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro!

Bray, whose cancer diagnosis – which he terms as a “shock to the system” – came close on the heels of his completion of the London Marathon in 2007, has undergone a number of major operations, in which his stomach and spleen were removed completely and he also partially lost his pancreas.

Despite the fact that the cancer treatment resulted in a 30kg loss of his body weight, Bray - a former corporal in the Royal Signal Corps – is ready to climb the top of ‘Kili’ in order to support the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity which offers services to wounded servicemen and women.

About the feat that he aims at accomplishing, Bray admitted that he had “always been up for a bit of an adventure,” and, in response to his friend’s suggestion of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity, he said: “Count me in.”

Noting that he is aware that he might be “at a bit of a disadvantage” physically and “may not fare too well in the rather fundamental calorie intake department,” Bray – who will fly out to Tanzania for the climb on September 14 – that, despite the odds, he will make the attempt to reach the top of the mountain as he had already committed to the charitable cause and “couldn’t back out”!