A PICKERING woman is climbing the equivalent of different mountains – on her staircase.

Sarah Herbert, 47, was inspired to take on the challenge after seeing someone calculate the distance, via a staircase, of the mountains in Scotland, Wales, Britain and Ireland.

Raising donations for the Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue, Sarah started her challenge by climbing the equivalent of the Lake Direct mountain, Helvellyn.

Climbing more than 6,168 steps - 475 flights of stairs - she completed Helvellyn while wearing full mountain rescue kit.

“I am still aching a bit, but it was certainly worth it to raise money for Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team,” said Sarah, who is a volunteer for the charity.

“We sadly had to cancel our usual fundraising events due to the coronavirus epidemic, so I wanted to think of other creative ideas which are safe and manageable.

“A few of us are now considering climbing the equivalent of Everest during lockdown, which means 160 flights of stairs everyday, for 10 weeks.”

Other mountains on Sarah’s list include Ben Nevis, which is 1,344-metres high and more than 8,736 steps on the staircase.

Sarah is completing the challenges alongside Miles 4 Motivation, a virtual activity challenge organised by the Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue to encourage mental and physical fitness, while raising money for the charity.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the challenge is now encouraging people in lockdown to pledge a number of days in the month to exercising indoors.

Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team rely solely on donations and sponsorship for funding.

To donate, or to find out more, visit justgiving.com/srmrt