A West Watford dad and his family have raised more than £7,000 doing a sponsored climb of Ben Nevis in memory of his baby girl who died after being diagnosed with cancer five years ago.

Saf Ahmed and his brother and cousins overcame freezing temperatures and a hail storm to reach the summit of the Scottish peak and raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Saf’s daughter Aleena was diagnosed with neurblastoma when she was 18 months old. She was in and out of the hospital undergoing chemotherapy and operations to remove the cancerous tumour for a year before she passed away two days before Christmas 2010.

Saf, 40, said: "This was by far the worst nightmare any parent can face. We think of her every day and know that she is looking down on us from heaven.

"We will never forget the love and care the hospital showed my daughter."

Watford Observer:

Saf and his family Tariq Bhatti, Shahnaz Ahmed, Mohammad Rafiq, Sajad Mahmood and Saeed Choudhary completed the climb on Saturday, June 6.

Saf, a local government officer, said: "It was really easy to set up a just giving page and within three weeks we have raised more than £7,200 including gift aid and friends and family are still donating.

"We would like to thank all of the people that have donated for their kind generosity.

"The conditions on the mountain were extreme with torrential rain 40mph winds, hail stones and frozen snow at the top.

"It took us five hours to get to the top and around four hours to come back down. It was an amazing experience and all the training paid off."