A COMPETITIVE team of dental experts from Redditch have swapped scrubs for outdoor gear to raise thousands of pounds for charities in the UK and overseas.

Husband and wife dentists Dinesh and Sarbjjit Phakkey, of Dentist@Redhouse, together with son and daughter Rajan and Asha, tackled the trek of a lifetime to reach the summit of Killimanjaro.

The adventurous family raised more than £6,000 for Educaid Africa, a charity dedicated to improving educational opportunities for children in Kenya.

Despite training for many months to acclimatise themselves to the unfamiliar environment the Phakkeys found the trek a challenge.

Dinesh said: “The 5,895m climb was almost unimaginably more difficult than we had anticipated but we made it. It was a rewarding experience, not only in reaching the summit and the accompanying sense of achievement, but also in the breath-taking views that we witnessed.

“We are grateful for the support we received from family, friend and patients."

He added: "The charity we support is close to our hearts as we believe the value of education cannot be underestimated.

"Our own children look forward to positive futures as a result of their education.

"We hope that our sponsorship will also help bring positive futures for the children of Kenya.”

While Dinesh and family were planning their trip, colleagues at the Prospect Hill dental surgery were also getting ready for a challenge – the Pretty Muddy in Birmingham.

After weeks of preparation a team of 10 braved pouring rain to complete the mud-filled 5k obstacle course and raised £780 for Cancer Research UK.

Dental nurse Sam Lloyd was team leader for the day.

She said: “This summer we’ve risen to the challenge and had a go at something very different.

"Pretty Muddy was fun but exhausting. Counting our sponsorship money and knowing that it’s all going to help fight cancer made it all worthwhile.”

The team may have returned to their day jobs but they are already planning their next fundraising adventure.