”If you say you can or you can’t do something, you’re probably right”.

I’m not usually one to promise something then not deliver… but I’ve fallen into the trap of promising to keep my blogs updated more often and failing- and cramming an eventful fortnight into one small post! Here goes…

I’m so glad to announce my latest major sponsors- Pingtree and UK Loans, a joint venture as part of Quintessential Finance Group, the UK’s fastest growing technology lead consumer finance group in 4 global locations. They’ve come onboard just in time and saved the day. I’m so grateful to have them as a key part of this huge journey alongside my other major sponsors Textlocal.com, the UK’s no.1 business mobile messaging service.

I’m looking forward to working with them on what will undoubtedly be an exciting project.

Pingtree is a financial technology firm and service provider that enables its partners & affiliates to plug into and access an entire market of lenders or financial providers through one simple integration. More info at www.pingtree.co.uk.

UK Loans is an exciting new start-up from the group coming soon. www.ukloans.co.uk

So… the trip is now funded! I’ve waited a long time to announce that EVEREST IS ON!!!     Some said it couldn’t be done, some famous polar explorers even told me so. At times, raising over £35,000 at 18 years old seemed impossible. But it always seems impossible until it’s done. I’m so proud to be backed by so many people and to have so many corporate sponsors behind me, allowing me to make a positive impact on others. To me and those around me who’d been through the struggles of this epic journey, it was a proud moment to cherish after 14 months of work, dedication, and for most of it, uncertainty.

I’ve learnt so much and I’m glad I never listened to the naysayers. To be able to say ”I’m going to Everest!”, has quite simply been awesome. I know more obstacles will face me, but like the rest, I’ll hit them head on. But no slacking- there’s a lot of work still to do. It feels unreal to speak the words, but now that I’m getting to base camp, I’ve struggled to wipe the smile off my face since, even when suffering on the bike for 4 hours. The locals must be wondering what’s going on…

It’s even more fruitful to get to Everest knowing I’ve got there off my own back with the help of my great support team, family and friends to whom I’m indebted. I hope this will go some way in proving the capabilities of not only young people, but Epileptics and people who’ve had to overcome adversity in life. Many Everest climbers say the fundraising is the hardest bit! I will soon find out. But there’s no time to relax, even though a lot of pressure is off me, because now I need to put even more effort into the final 4 weeks of preparation. I’ll kinda miss sending emails all day. Tonight I knocked a whole 14 minutes off my usual 60 mile cycle time, just because now I have that extra motivation and purpose to push myself harder. I can’t let myself, my supporters or my charities down. I feel ready, the momentum’s building. I just know this is the year and I’m getting stronger at exactly the right time. But the mountain always calls the tune, and there’s so much I can’t control. All I can do is my best.

It’s 4 weeks until I’m packed and leaving for Everest. Blimey. I’ve always dreamt of the moment when I knew it was going ahead and danced around the house like a banshee. But the suspense and excitement has been gradual, perhaps because inside, I’ve always known I would get there. It’s unbelievable. There’s not much better than the power of self belief and a stubborn belief in a dream … except coffee…

Several magazine articles coming up, a radio interview, 2 newspapers and an interview with ITV Granada Reports today which will be featured today. Life is crazy and when I was asked ‘what are you going to do after Everest?’… it certainly threw me!

Filming for ITV Granada Reports.. with Textlocal, Pingtree and UK Loans proudly on my t-shirt!

2 weeks ago I gave a talk at Accrington Academy which went really well. As I stood up and spoke to 30-40 kids my own age in one room, it almost felt as if I wasn’t telling my story. Had I really come this far? But you are who you believe you are.

Let’s see how far I can push myself on Everest this Spring. It’s a long and winding road to base camp, but as long as you don’t stop, you’ll get there eventually.

So with more meetings tomorrow then a hill sprints bike session (involves sprinting up a hill at maximum heart rate on the bike for 90 seconds, biking down, then repeating!), I’ll do a training blog next week. Please do take a look of some of my latest web interviews…

– http://summitclothing.co.uk/alex-staniforth-young-determined-and-over-his-first-mountain-just-everest-to-go/

– http://travellingcompanion.co.uk/on-top-of-the-world

– http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2014/02/10/everest-2014-interview-alex-staniforth-young-motivated/