TWO victorious friends have returned to Suffolk this week after conquering one of the world's highest peaks.

TWO victorious friends have returned to Suffolk this week after conquering one of the world's highest peaks.

Gavin Carter, 38 from Kesgrave and Steve Moy, 36 from Felixstowe successfully completed the daunting task of scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in north eastern Tanzania, landing back in the UK on Sunday.

The pair managed the trek in just 6 days and have raised well over the �1,000 target for local charity Autism Suffolk.

And along the way the duo bumped into some famous faces, also attempting to reach the summit in aid of Comic Relief.

They shared the same Kenyan Airways flight out on Friday, February 27 with the nine-strong celebrity group, including Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole and Take That member Gary Barlow.

Mr Carter said: “We spotted them all in the luxury lounge before they boarded the same flight as us but after sharing the flight we didn't see them again, they followed a different route to ours.”

For the friends the once-in-a-lifetime trip exceeded all their expectations, challenging them both mentally and physically.

Mr Moy said: “It was a fantastic experience. We had everything on the trip, rain, hail, snow, when we reached the summit it was minus 15C.

“It was really hard at times, the last night particularly; everyone struggled in their own way. At about 5,500 metres I felt woozy and had to take a five minute break.

“The views when we reached the summit were amazing, from certain vantage points we could see right across into Kenya, for miles and miles, it was mind blowing.”

The pair are hoping, after collecting donations from friends, family and colleagues, they will have raised nearly �2,000 for Autism Suffolk.

Mr Carter said: “It was a great achievement for the two of us, but it is even better knowing we have raised so much for such a worthy local cause that does so much for local people.”