A local newspaper journalist scaled the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales to help give an eight-year-old severely disabled girl a voice for the first time.

David Raven, 22, a reporter at Champion Newspapers in West Lancashire and Sefton, signed up for the challenge after he wrote an article about a group of young men attempting the Three Peaks Challenge and decided to join them.

At the top of each mountain a picture was taken of the team, including David holding a copy of the newspaper’s front page.

The money raised will go towards providing a £6,500 eye-tracking computer called an eye-gaze which will enable Mia Brown, who is unable to use any part of her body, to communicate with her family and friends for the first time.

David and his fundraising team climbed Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike over two days despite facing some of the country’s worst weather.

Said David: “It was a tough challenge but our blisters and cramps were all for a good cause.”

The team at the top of Snowdon

Mia from Merseyside suffers from epilepsy, severe cerebral palsy and is fully wheelchair dependent.

The machine will record Mia’s eye movements and correspond them to what images or phrases appear on the screen in front of her.

Mia’s mum Julie said: “We can’t thank TEAM and the brave group of young lads enough for what they have done and hopefully Mia will be able to say thank you to them in person soon.”

You can still sponsor the group by visiting teamfundraising.org.uk/mia.html.