A WORSLEY walker is to meet the mountaineering legend who was the first man to conquer Everest.

Hiker Robert Howarth will come face-to-face with explorer Sir Edmund Hillary as part of a forthcoming Nepalese festival he has helped to organise.

Today Mr Howarth said: "It's an exciting prospect because of what Edmund Hillary achieved. Everyone knows his name."

Sir Edmund, who conquered Everest in the Himalayas with Sherpa Tenzing, is due to jet in from New Zealand to speak about his exploits on Sunday at Manchester Town Hall.

The adventurer, now in his late 70s, will also be joined by George Lowe, another member of the British expedition which scaled the world's highest mountain in 1953.

Sir Edmund's talk will form part of a weekend festival celebrating Nepalese culture in Manchester which Mr Howarth, 51, of Park Road, Worsley, has helped organise.

Dancers and a Gurkha band will light up the city's town hall square as just two of many attractions featured in the two-day celebration.

But Mr Howarth, who became heavily involved with the Nepalese community after helping set up a school in the south Asian country, will also enjoy another honour two days before the festival.

For the history teacher has been chosen to lead a group of hikers, representing the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust, into Manchester as part of a fundraising trek from John O' Groats to Land's End.

Walkers will be met by Mr Howarth tomorrow and taken to Manchester Town Hall for a civic reception.

Cash raised by the hike will help fund community projects kickstarted in Nepal by Sir Edmund since his famous 29,028ft ascent to the top of Everest 45 years ago.

Entry to the festival is free, but tickets to Edmund Hillary's talk, which can be booked by contacting Manchester Town Hall, cost £5.

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