A BLACK Country man will complete the Three Peaks Challenge to pull in the pounds for a Wordsley special school.

Anthony Cokeley, who works for Dudley CVS, wants to raise more than £2,500 for the parent outreach service at Pens Meadow School, where his six-year-old son Rhys - who has cerebral palsy and complex learning needs - is a student.

The 32-year-old interim manager will swap the office for the great outdoors as he gears up to climb on three of the UK’s highest mountains in four days - starting with Ben Nevis on June 20.

His charity fundraising efforts are being backed by friends, teachers and Coleshill-based Candidate Source, who met Anthony through its support of Lunch on the Run, based at the DY1 Community Building in Stafford Street, Dudley.

The online recruitment advertising agency has donated £1,000 to kick-start the campaign and to help with purchasing waterproofs and other equipment, including a Deuter Kid Carrier that will transport Rhys up the final mountain so he can complete his own challenge at the same time.

“Rhys was born premature at 28 weeks and this caused a lot of complex issues, including cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus and epilepsy," Anthony said.

"Despite all of these things to overcome, he’s still a happy, cheerful six-year-old with an appetite for a challenge.

“We moved him to Pens Meadow at the start of the year and the care and support he’s received has been phenomenal and it is really helping him with his day-to-day life and development.”

He continued: “I was also very impressed with the parent outreach team, who helped with the transition and made sure I was ok during the process. It’s very tough being a dad and a carer and having their support, advice and guidance has made a massive difference.

“That’s why I wanted to give something back and doing the Three Peaks seemed the perfect way to do it. We’re looking to raise £2,500 and I’ve already had great support from Candidate Source, my employer Dudley CVS and friends and family.”

Some of the money that will hopefully be generated will be used by the school's outreach team to deliver activities to the families of pupils.

One example is a desire to develop a ‘siblings group’ as a way of extending support to the sibling of the child with additional needs, a vital service to often overlooked members of the family.

Anthony added: “I haven’t done much training, but I know I’ll complete the Three Peaks. I’ll be on my own for the first two and then, for Snowdon, I’ll be joined by some of the teachers who will do the climb with us.

“Rhys won’t have many more opportunities to share a challenge like this with his dad and I know he’s even more excited than me to get started.”

To help Anthony reach his fundraising target, visit www.gofundme.com/Pens-Meadow.