IT sounds like the ultimate April Fools' joke - but when Max Griffiths and 10 friends set off for a trek up England's third highest mountain their aim was deadly serious.

True, it is not every day a climbing party takes along tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery, glasses, food, wine, candelabra and formal evening wear up 3,250 feet. But then, the top of Helvellyn, in Cumbria, is not the obvious spot for a pleasant five-course dinner party including champagne reception.

This, however, is exactly what Bolton student Max and pals did in order to raise money to fund an education centre for poor youngsters 4,500 miles away in Tanzania.

The story goes back two years to when Max, of Fall Birch Road, Lostock, took a gap year from his geography degree studies at the University of Nottingham to travel to East Africa to teach.

The 21-year-old former Bolton School pupil swiftly realised that classroom resources in secondary schools there were very thin on the ground. And when he returned to England, he linked up with his old school to send out unwanted books. He and pal Alex Hawkins got fellow students at Nottingham and elsewhere to help, and since the project first began have sent 30,000 books plus computers out to Tanzanian schools.

Now, Max, after researching the Masai tribe in Meserani in the area last summer, wants to build an education centre this year to help them beat the poverty trap and improve their lives. But this will cost £15,000, hence the fund-raising.

The idea for a dinner party on Helvellyn had been around for a while, said Max, an experienced climber and hill-walker. But itquickly took shape recently, with April 1 identified as just the right day for an outlandish event.

"I'm always a little peckish when I get to the top of a mountain," said Max. "So it seemed to be a good idea to have a meal when we got up there. And we thought it might as well be a formal one."

So, he and the other males wore tuxedos under their climbing gear, and the six females - including his sisters, 25-year-old Tanya and 19-year-old Lisa - took along evening dresses in their rucksacks to change into.

Their table will be hauled up in sections, along with foldup chairs, tablecloth and all the necessary refinements for an enjoyable, if blowy, meal in the clouds.This starts, quite naturally, with champagne followed by Bruschetta.

The main course will be Chicken and Vegetables a la Helvellyn, then Gateau Chocolat, with coffee and mints to finish.

It was all cooked the day before, with sauces to be heated up on site using a small stove.

The ascent from the steeper but safer Thirlmere side, will take three to four hours. And the party plans to spend around an hour at the top, before heading down.

"It all sounds a bit crazy, but it's in a very good cause. And it's always nice to eat out," added Max.

l To find out more about theTanzania Education Project, visit www.travelot.net/tep or to offer support or make a donation, contact Max on 07732-817960.