Dad of deaf Coronation Street star to tackle Everest

10 hours ago

Jonny HumphriesNorth West

News image — Michael Woods, whose son Joseph plays Aled in Coronation Street, says Mount Everest will be the "toughest challenge of my life"

NCDS Michael Woods, 36, who has ginger hair and a short ginger beard, sits at a table in a restaurant with his arm around his son, six, who has short blonde hair. — Michael Woods, whose son Joseph plays Aled in Coronation Street, says Mount Everest will be the "toughest challenge of my life"

The father of a child Coronation Street star is preparing to take on the world's highest mountain to raise money for deaf children.

Michael Woods, who is deaf himself, is set to climb Mount Everest in Nepal and said the 8,849 m (29,032 ft) ascent would be in honour of his son Joseph - who is also deaf and plays Aled Winter-Brown on the ITV soap.

Woods, 36, is aiming to raise money for the National Deaf Children's Society which supported his six-year-old son from an early age.

The climb is scheduled to begin on 7 April and is expected to take six to eight weeks.

Woods, who communicates using British Sign Language (BSL), is strength-training three times a week with a personal trainer, alongside endurance work and altitude preparation, and is also using an altitude tent at home.

The expedition is part of an effort to complete the Seven Summits challenge - climbing the highest peak on each continent.

NDCS Michael Woods stands on the summit of a mountain with snowy peaks and clouds visible in the distance against a blue sky. He is wearing a white helmet, reflective sunglasses, a thick red coat and grey overtrousers. — In January, Michael Woods climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak in South America.

In January, Woods reached the 6,961 m (22,840 ft) summit of Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain in South America after 17 days.

He said: "Aconcagua tested me in every way imaginable, from battling fatigue to facing the harsh elements, but standing at the summit made it all worth it.

"The sense of achievement and awe at the mountain is indescribable."

He said he expected the toughest challenges of Everest to include the extreme altitude and the cold - which can reach -30°C and below.

Woods will also face the mental pressure of long summit pushes, particularly navigating the treacherous icefall between Base Camp and Camp 1.

He will climb with a guided team, communicating visually and through written methods when needed, as no BSL interpreter will join the expedition.

Woods said: "I want deaf children – including my own – to see that nothing is out of reach for them."

After his father reached the summit of Aconcagua, Joseph said: "Wow, that's good, I love you and you did it, proud of you."

Melissa Jones, community and events fundraiser at the National Deaf Children's Society, said: "Michael's determination is extraordinary.

"Taking on Everest is an enormous challenge for anyone, and he's doing it to inspire deaf children and raise funds for others who need support just like his family once did."

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