Burnley schoolgirl Lydia (11) all set to live her dream to conquer Everest

Lydia Wrathall is only 11 but she has Everest base camp in her sights

Lydia Wrathall has always been fascinated by the world’s highest mountain and when she announced she would love to climb it her mum, Louise, knew she was serious.

Louise said: “Lydia loves walking and at the age of three she completed the Scarlett’s Stride walk which is 12 miles long no problem at all.

“That was when her love of walking and climbing started and also her fascination with Everest.

Lydia (left) with her mum Louise and little sister Emily.

"She knows all the facts about it and when she realised that ordinary people could climb it and not just people like Bear Grylls and Ant Middleton she wanted to do it."

Lydia and her mum can be seen on regular walks in the scenic countryside around their home in Cliviger and Lydia thinks nothing of clocking up 10 miles one go.

Determined to help her daughter make her dream come true Louise decided she would accompany Lydia on the epic trip to Everest base camp, which is 5,364 metres above sea level,

And the duo have started a fund raising campaign to help two charities close to their hearts and also raise awareness of their trip.

Louise is raising money for BK's Heroes and Lydia chose the charity Young Minds which her class at St John’s Primary School in Cliviger is supporting.

The charity campaigns to provide mental health services for children and young people and Lydia’s first act of generosity was to have her waist length hair cut into a bob to raise cash.

Her fantastic efforts raised £366 and she has donated her hair to the charity Wigs for Kids that provides hair replacement for children who have lost their own through chemotherapy treatment or medical conditions.

Among the other fund raising events the mum and daughter have staged are a cake sale and on Friday, April 26th they are holding a charity family quiz night at Lowerhouse Cricket Club in Burnley.

Supporting from the sidelines are Louise’s husband Chris, a chef at the Sparrow Hawk pub in Fence and their younger daughter Emily who is eight.

Louise (34) who runs her own Burnley based joinery business, is now looking into the practicalities of scaling Everest.

She said: “There are a variety of companies that run the trip but the minimum age is 14 so Lydia would have to wait a couple of years but it gives us time to save up and get some proper training in for it.”

For anyone who would like to find out more information the mum and daughter have their own facebook page called Lou and Lydia's Journey to Everest base camp.