A RETIRED vicar who trekked to Mount Everest, is back at his Botley home after catching one of the last flights out of Nepal.

Phillip Nixon walked to the mountain’s south base camp to raise money for Christian Aid.

Mr Nixon, 72, reached 5,380m above sea level in six days.

However, his adventure wasn’t over as Nepal closed its borders due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Nixon said: “We only just got back; the airlines were closing down all around us.

“The Nepalese government has stopped all trekking and climbing permits and closed the borders.

“We had wi-fi connections at most of the overnight stops, so we knew that Covid-19 was an increasing problem.

“The climb itself went well and the size of the mountains, and the very sharpness of the peaks were stunning.”

Mr Nixon has raised over £1,000 in what was his third major climb for Christian Aid.

He previously tackled Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, in 2012 and Machu Picchu, in Peru, three years ago.

The former parish priest of Goring was inspired to take on Everest by a love of Nepal and his desire to support those in the world’s poorest communities.

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He said: “I’ve been supporting Christian Aid for most of my life really. The emergency response work the charity does is so important.”