THE FUNDRAISING efforts of friends, family and other members of the community have paid off for a Menston teenager as he heads for China this month.

Seventeen-year-old Tom Banister, of Cleasby Road, Menston, enlisted the help of family members and friends to raise money for his expedition to China with the Yorkshire Schools Exploring Society.

Tom, a pupil at Leeds Grammar School had to raise £3,500 towards the trip, which will take him to the see some of the world's highest mountains, and visit Beijing, the capital city of China.

Tom was one of 50 hopefuls who took part in a rigorous

selection process - which saw him getting up at 4am, carrying a heavy oil drum around with him all day to build up his strength, and taking part in outdoor

activities including abseiling and walking.

He was picked for the China trip, and has been in training ever since. He walked the Yorkshire three peaks earlier this year to prepare for the Himalayan

environment, and came up with his own ideas to raise money for the trip.

He made his own Christmas cards, which he sold to friends and neighbours in Menston, while enterprising grandparents Ben and Gwen Banister, of Ilkley, made and sold decorated 'bulb sticks' for gardeners to use as supports for their growing flower bulbs.

He also asked businesses in the area to help out.

Now mother Marilyn Banister believes they have raised enough for the trip, following a well-supported coffee morning in the

village on Saturday.

She said: "We should have raised enough by now. He's really looking forward to it. He's always been interested in walking, but never anything on this scale."

Tom will fly to Islamabad in three weeks' time, then travel by bus to the Himalayan region of China, for acclimatisation. He and other teenagers in the party will then embark on a gruelling trek to K2 and attempt to ford a wide river.

The party will be guided by interpreters from the Chinese Travel Service, and will later travel by train to see the sights of Beijing.