Man becomes first deaf Briton to summit Everest

A BBC presenter who has become the first British deaf person to summit Mount Everest has said there were moments on the climb where he felt "quite alone", but reaching the top was "one of the most emotional moments of my life".

Michael Woods, from Liverpool, made the ascent across eight weeks without a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, communicating visually and writing with his expedition team.

The See Hear presenter said climbing in the Himalayas was a decade-long "dream" which had had "many obstacles", but he said he never gave up and "simply found another way forward".

He said he had wanted to show daughter Isabella and son Joseph, who is also deaf, that "nothing was impossible".

The 8,849m (29,032ft) ascent was part of Woods' effort to complete his Seven Summits challenge of climbing the highest peak on each continent.

The 36-year-old mountaineer, who is a regular BSL presenter and contributor for the BBC's disability and deaf lifestyle programme, has previously summited Aconcagua in Argentina, Elbrus in Russia and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, as well as Toubkal in Morocco and Lobuche East in Nepal.

He said his Everest mission had been to "reach the summit and return home safely" and the expedition had tested him "physically, mentally and emotionally, but I was determined not to give up".

"Being deaf made the challenge even greater because I often missed important information during the daily briefings, and it was sometimes difficult to feel fully included within the group," he said.

"There were moments during those eight weeks when I felt quite alone.

"Despite that, I stayed focused on my goal."

He said reaching the summit was "one of the most emotional moments of my life".

"Standing on the highest point in the world was an incredible feeling," he said.

"There were moments when I never thought I would make it that far, so to finally stand there was overwhelming."

He said he had wanted to show Isabella and Joseph, who plays Aled Winter-Brown on ITV's Coronation Street, what can be done "if you truly believe in yourself and keep pushing forward".

He added that he also wanted to raise money for the National Deaf Children's Society, which has supported Joseph.

"I want every deaf child to have access to the same support, opportunities and accessibility, and to know that they can achieve anything they set their minds to," he said.

"My son was incredibly proud when he heard that I had reached the summit.

"Like me, he was emotional because we had been apart for so long.

"When I look at Joseph and Isabella, I feel proud - not just because of the summit, but because I have shown them that no dream is out of reach."

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