A man with Down’s syndrome has raised over £1,000 for charity by climbing a 10 metre wall.

Ismail Vawda smashed his target of £300 when he recently took on the challenge to help Ellingham Employment Services in Leyton.

The 43-year-old has spent the past 20 years attending classes at the site in Ellingham Road and was determined to do all he could to raise cash to buy kitchen appliances for its new building.

A state-of-the-art centre with classrooms, a café and a community hall is under construction after the charity received a Big Lottery grant of £700,000.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Mr Vawda of Walthamstow won the support of students at Azhar Academy Primary School in Leytonstone High Road who raised an additional £200 for his campaign.

His sister Fatima Vawda, who is a trustee of the charity, said: “I am just chuffed. It was a massive achievement for Ismail.

“His friends were cheering him on when he went up and when he came down he stretched out his arms and said ‘yay, I did it!’

“The support has been amazing and the school invited him in for an assembly for him to collect the cash.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

“He was just on cloud nine and he knows what he has done for Ellingham.”

I Can Ventures which holds classes at the site aims to prepare adults with learning disabilities for the world of work.

A number of events are being arranged to raise the £150,000 needed to furnish the new centre.

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