Exhaustion and last minute setbacks failed to deter Simon Kay and his team from completing the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge and raising nearly £2,000 for Swindon Down's Syndrome Group.

Simon, whose four-year-old son Josiah has the condition, discovered hours before they were scheduled to scale Ben Nevis that his sister Abi Evans, a trained mountain first-aider, had been airlifted to hospital from Fort William after falling ill. She and her husband John had been planning to act as pathfinders for the team.

So Simon, who was tackling the challenge to climb the three highest peaks in the country within 24 hours for the first time, had to step in.

"That was a real set back," said Simon, of Kennet Avenue, Green-meadow.

But he was delighted that three of the nine walkers managed to complete the task within the time limit and that there was only one casualty, who had to pull out through exhaustion.

After tackling Ben Nevis the team were ferried to Scafell Pike in the Lake District and then to complete the challenge by climbing Snowdon in North Wales.

The money raised by the group of family and friends is going towards two part-time speech and language therapists who help children with Down's improve their communication skills.

Josiah is currently only able to see a language therapist every couple of months when he should be seeing one for therapy every week.

Anyone who wants to add to the total can call 01793 341531 for more details.