A COUPLE who have raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity braved an earthquake, a monsoon and a typhoon in their latest quest.

Pat and Jim Ainsworth, of Emley, raised just over £6,000 for the cerebral palsy charity Scope when they completed a 44-mile trek in Japan - which finished with them scaling the sacred Mount Fuji in appalling weather.

The couple - who have raised well over £55,000 for charity over the years - were with a 64-strong group who were all raising cash for Scope.

The event collected almost £200,000 for the charity.

Before they even reached 12,389ft Fuji the group scaled five other peaks, Mitsutoge, Osakayama, Kurodake, Setto Peak and Onigatake.

They camped on the way and endured heavy rain - and an earthquake which measured 7.5 on the Richter Scale.

As they got higher up Fuji even the group's guides were struggling in the bad weather.

Mr Ainsworth said: "We battled with torrential rain and high winds. As the air got thinner it took us two hours to complete the final 800 metres to the summit.

"We weren't able to take photos at the top because of the bad weather and had to descend immediately.

"Only 20 people out of 64 managed to reach the summit."

Both the Ainsworths made it to the top, but their troubles were not over.

Mrs Ainsworth said: "The next morning the guides told us the road we were to leave on had been partially washed away and trees were also blocking it.

"This made for a tense time, as after almost three days of being unable to wash or shower everyone was eager to get back to Tokyo."

The roads were eventually cleared and the group were taken back to the capital.

Mr Ainsworth said: "The event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We returned home with an incredible sense of achievement. It was a very tough challenge."