A man with Down’s syndrome has conquered his fear of heights and is preparing to climb a 10 metre wall to raise much-needed cash for charity.

Ismail Vawda, 43, hopes to raise £300 to furnish a new building at Ellingham Employment Services where he has been attending classes for over 20 years.

I Can Ventures (ICN) also holds classes at the centre in Ellingham Road, Leytonstone to prepare adults with learning disabilities for the world of work.

Mr Vawda of Walthamstow will be cheered on by his classmates and trainers when he takes on the challenge in Mile End Climbing Wall on Wednesday, November 22.

His sister Fatima Vawda, who is a trustee of ICN, said: “He is immensely excited about it and is taking it really seriously.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

“I am surprised at his level of enthusiasm. He has gotten himself a little money box and is collecting donations.

“I took him climbing a few weeks ago to see how he would do and he was able to go up by himself.

“The centre is a very big part of his life and he knows they need the new building.

“He loves going there every day, rain or shine, and he has friends there and it is his community.

“The staff at Ellingham are amazing and we are so fortunate to have them.

“For a lot of the clients it is the only social outing they have.”

Mr Vawda's favourite activity at the centre is cooking and baking treats for himself and his classmates.

Last month Ellingham launched a campaign offering people the chance to sponsor a brick at the new building where woodwork, IT and media classes will be held for 75 clients.

The charity built the state-of-the-art centre earlier this year after receiving a Big Lottery grant of £700,000.

An additional £150,000 is now needed to furnish the centre which features classrooms, a community hall and café which will be open to the public.

Manager Rosemary Clark said: “Fundraising is going slow. Although we have received a number of small donations we are still looking for larger sums from businesses.

“If they donate they will be involved in our upcoming events and there’s a positive feeling you get from giving.

“We are very proud of Ismail for doing a sponsored climb.

“It is quite something and it’s really great what he’s doing to fundraise.”

A cake sale and raffle will be held at the centre at 1pm on Wednesday, November 29.

Anyone who would like to donate an item for the raffle or get involved with fundraising can click here.

To donate to Mr Vawda’s sponsored climb click here.