Four factory workers are braving the highest peak on Earth to help support a charity a little closer to home.

The explorers from BMW in Cowley are hoping a trek 21,000ft up Everest will help raise up to £5,000 for the Pathway Workshop in Greater Leys.

Nigel Roberts, 44, Richard French, 42, Steve Mayhew, 45, and Mark Samuels, 35, all from Blackbird Leys, Oxford, have worked together in the paintshop at the car factory for a combined 50 years.

Now they are in training to climb part of the world's highest peak to raise sponsorship for the ailing charity.

The Pathway Workshop, based at Dunnock Way, employs disabled adults to make and sell wooden furniture. It almost closed a year ago because of a funding crisis.

Mr Roberts said: "It's a local charity and it's always needing funding and any help it can get.

"We all work for an able-bodied company and we are all aware of what goes on at Pathway and the good work it does for Blackbird Leys.

"Everest is the peak of any challenge and it's not going to be a four-week holiday.

"If it gets tough we will use each other to push on. It's not a race. We will go up as a team and enjoy it when we get there."

The 24-day expedition will take the four 3,000 feet above Everest base camp on to the slopes of the mountain itself.

The friends have previously trekked in South America and Africa.

The charity employs and trains more than 20 disabled adults aged between 18 and 80 and survives through private donations and sponsorship.

Staff make and sell garden furniture nationwide and are currently in negotiations with national wholesalers to supply for the mail-order market.

More than 450 tons of wood are recycled by Pathway every year.

Wooden compost bins used by Oxford City Council and furniture sold at garden centres are made by the charity.

The organisation was saved from closure in January last year after securing 11th-hour grants. Staff are now sporting new uniforms and logos following a £1,000 grant from the Oxford Mail's parent company Gannett.

Pathway office manager Jenny O'Loughlin said: "With no statutory funding, Pathway Workshop needs private donations and sponsorship to get programmes running.

"Like Nigel, Pathway Workshop has high peaks to conquer and like Nigel we're sure we will succeed."

Fundraising events will be held at the Bullnose Morris and the BMW social club before the hikers set off in March 2007.

Anyone wishing to make a donation should call Pathway on 01865 714111 or email enquiries@pathway-workshop.co.uk