TWO friends have climbed a mountain for charity - and they've got the T-shirt to prove it.

Bob Spokes and Lennie Maddalena triumphantly returned home on Sunday after ascending the 20,000ft peak of Mt Kilimanjaro last week and raising a fantastic £2,500 for the Prospect Hospice.

They faced sheer drops, extreme temperatures, altitude sickness.

Bob, 59, of Whitehill Lane, Wootton Bassett, said: "I can now say, been there, done that and got the T-shirt."

"The whole experience was just immense. I had seen the mountain before when I served with the RAF, but when you get up close and realise just how big it really is, you start to wonder if you are really prepared for this."

The pair joined a larger group and guides for the trip to the top. Every day, they carried litres of water and spare clothing for the ascent while other equipment was carried by local guides who were unfazed by walking up the mountain in normal clothing and trainers.

Bob, who works for drugs firm Cardinal Health, said: "Some of these chaps were amazing. There they were carrying big tents, and whereas we were wearing proper hiking boots and trousers they were going up in trainers.

"Even when it was tough going for us, on our hands and knees, they were just getting on with it,"

The eight-day trip meant that the hikers could acclimatise to the high altitudes - but it wasn't for everyone.

Lennie said: "The altitude had strange effects on people. You would often have migraines as you got higher and higher, but because of the extra time we had we were able to get used to it.

"Other groups would try and do it in four days, but we heard that their altitude sickness got so bad they had to give up half an hour short of the top. It must have been really frustrating."

Taking the tough Shira Route to the top, Lennie and Bob reached the summit just in time for sunrise - on both sides there were tall glaciers and long falls.

They then began their descent, returning for a well-earned beer and souvenirs - including commemorative T-shirts and a gold certificate from the Tanzanian government to prove they had reached the top of Africa's tallest mountain.

"That's it for me," said Bob, "Lennie wants to climb a few more but, I'm just happy to have climbed the mountain and raised some money for an excellent local charity too."