He celebrated with a hug from his wife... and a bacon buttie!

Now intrepid trekker David De Livio has thanked junior supporters at Kirkburton Middle School by presenting them with the flag they designed – and which flew for Huddersfield in the mountains of the Himalayas.

The former soldier with 7 Signal Regiment hopes to raise £5,000 for charity following his two-week 62km slog through Nepal to the base camp of Mount Everest at Kala Patthar.

The trip wasn’t without drama. David has revealed he suffered from altitude sickness, panic attacks and a fear of heights. Some cliff edges were just inches from a 500m sheer drop into nothingness.

“It was scary,” said the 43-year-old father of two. “My knees were knocking to say the least.”

David De Livio completed a charity trek to base camp at Mount Everest.

David had concerns about the rigours of the trip following an operation 18 months ago to replace his right knee. But, he says, aside from suffering from blisters his health was never an issue.

The toughest moment came when he and his fellow explorers climbed the 5,643m-high Kala Patthar in the dark at 4.30am to watch the sun rise behind Everest.

“Halfway through I gave up. It was just so hard. The temperature was minus 18 degrees, the water had frozen in our bags and the altitude was unbearable.

“I sat down and shed a tear. Then I marched straight up to the top.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment and I couldn’t miss it. When I saw the sunrise... wow! It was beyond words.”

David was also able to call home and speak to four-year-old daughter Sofia and son Pharrell via Facetime for his 11th birthday. The whole team shouted ‘happy birthday’ as Pharrell opened his presents.

David De Livio completed a charity trek to base camp at Mount Everest.

“That was one of the hardest days for me. I am a family man and I was worried we wouldn’t be able to contact him. There are times when you are lonely. We all had our moments.”

There was also an emotional reunion on October 27 with wife Claire, who was waiting for David with a bacon buttie in her hand.

“We had been starved of meat for two weeks,” he laughed. “Our diet wasn’t the best.”

For 2017 David is considering a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. There’s just one small problem: he hasn’t told the missus...

David is fundraising for the Steve Prescott Foundation, named after the rugby league player who died of cancer in 2013.

To donate go to www.justgiving.com/ddl73