Sir Chris Bonington, left, and Doug Scott at the climb with Berghaus brand president Richard Leedham on the wall

Climbers have scaled more than the height of Everest to raise cash for victims of the Nepal earthquakes.

Everest summiteers Sir Chris Bonington and Doug Scott led the climb at Keswick over the weekend which involved more than 200 volunteers tackling the ice.

For some, it was the first time they had used crampons and an ice-axe as they scaled the wall at the King Kong Centre. The aim was to clock up 8,848m of ascent on the ice – the height of the world’s highest mountain – but the actually managed more than 14,000m (45,900ft) of climbing.

Proceeds from the event will go to Community Action Nepal, founded by Scott. More than £36,000 has already been raised by participants in the ClimbForCAN venture, which was organised by Sir Chris’s son Rupert.

A spokesperson from the event said: “We’ve climbed to the summit, back down again and now enjoying a drink in Namche Bazaar.”

Each climber had between 30 and 60 minutes in which to climb the ice wall at King Kong Climbing Centre as many times as possible. World class climber and CAN trustee Leo Houlding managed to climb the wall 50 times in 45 minutes though most of the volunteer climbers were happy to make between five and 10 ascents.

Children from Langdale Primary School were among those making the climbs during the event, which took place on Friday and Saturday.

CAN provides nurses, health posts, teachers, schools and rescue shelters that serve 250,000 people in remote Nepalese villages. In the regions hit worst by the earthquakes, such as Langtang, Gorkha and Helambu, the vital buildings have been badly damaged or completely destroyed, and homes have been reduced to rubble.

All the donations made to ClimbForCAN will go directly towards relief efforts and the rebuilding of communities. More details are on the ClimbForCAN website.