A CHARITY founder from Hyde who took on a virtual Everest challenge to raise money for the poorest communities in India has appeared on television.

John Hunt’s challenge for the Lotus Flower Trust, a charity supporting the poorest communities in India, caught the attention of producers of The Russell Howard Hour on Sky who came down to interview him.

The challenge

The 80-year-old actually climbed 30,000ft on his climbing machine, which is more than the height of Everest (29,028ft).

Supporting the fundraising efforts more than 500 boys from Winchester College also ran a collective total of 4,400km in and around the school grounds.

ALSO READ: Lotus Flower Trust founder John Hunt completes Everest challenge

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Facebook views

Thousands of viewers tuned in to watch John on the Good Deeds section of the show which helped attract more donations. The video clip has received more than 35,000 views on Facebook alone.

“It was very, very good,” said John, who was impressed by the filming team and thought the TV interview was “brilliant”.

The show helped to boost funds for the charity with donations coming off the back of the airing of the show. An English teacher from Germany even got in touch to offer to help teach children at Montessori School in the Himalayas.

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Recovering from cancer, Covid and cardiac arrest

Before taking on his fundraising challenge John had recovered from cancer, Covid and a cardiac arrest. After returning to his former fitness, he was determined to continue to help some of the many thousands of people struggling in the Himalayas due to lack of water, housing and education.

ALSO READ: Charity founder who recovered from cancer, Covid-19 and a heart attack to embark on a virtual Everest climb 

How the money raised will be used 

More than £35,000 has been raised which is expected to reach £50,000 awith more donations and gift aid added.

Funds raised will go towards funding a new school in Moradabad, a farm for destitute nuns in Basgo and artificial glaciers to replace water lost due to climate change in many Himalayan villages.

“It will revolutionise the nuns lives. We are building a farm and buy them cows and goats chickens," explains John who says this will help the nunnery become more self sufficient before they welcome destitute girls from the borders of the Tibet and Pakistan borders who will come to live there. 

“They will be safe, they will be fed, go to school.”

John added: “The nuns are all beggars and don’t get paid and can only earn a few Rupees going around people’s houses giving blessings. If we can make them self sufficient it is going to change their lives.”

Artificial glaciers 
The artificial glaciers cost about £8,000. John says if they didn’t have this water they would migrate to another area, the captial town Ley, which is “overcrowded already” and also experiences water shortages. 

“If you have no water you have no life. What’s happened since climate change is the natural glaciers have receded up the mountain," said John, who says the villagers of that area have to walk for hours up steep and mountainous terrain."

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It works by putting a pipe into the glacier and the water runs into the pipe which is buried underground and run down towards the village and where the articifical glacier will be located. 

The water comes out of a hose at the end and freezes, which in turn forms the artificial glacier on the ground. When it starts to melt in mid march a trench will be dug and a pipe will be run going to a village pond.

John added: “The water that comes from the metling ice, the articifical glacier, runs down into the pond and hey presto the villagers have got water for their crops, animals and for there own domestic use so they can stay where they are and preserve all their traditions and Buddhist religon and everything else.”

Although he didn’t get to meet Russell Howard he has sent messages of thanks.

John hopes to get the projects started as soon as the winter is over in Ladakh in mid March to April. 

Lotus Flower Trust

John set up the Lotus Flower Trust in 2008 to raise funds to build schools, homes and skills centres for children, women and people with special needs in remote and environmentally challenging areas of India.

Since then the charity has raised approximately £2 million which has funded 73 projects.

Visit: lotusflowertrust.org

 

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