Rakesh Chauhan: School fundraiser in memory of helicopter crash victim

The family of an RAF officer killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan has started training for its latest fundraising trek.

Flt Lt Rakesh Chauhan, 29, of Cropston, Leicestershire, died along with four others in the crash in 2014.

His father Kishor and brother Kesh are planning to hike Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain.

They are aiming to raise £45,000 for a new education block at a school in Nepal, run by the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

Rak's Trust - set up in memory of the RAF officer - has already supported the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance and helped fund an off-road ambulance in Malawi.

Kesh Chauhan, 40, said: "We have done quite a few walks and this one is the biggest one in England and we haven't done it yet.

"We thought we would pick a nice difficult one to do, so let's hope it goes well."

Kishor Chauhan, 70, said his late son had a big personality.

"Very driven, very determined, a very difficult person to be around sometimes because he was very demanding," he said.

"But his determination carried him through and he was an extremely bright and brilliant person."

The family said they were fundraising for one of the many schools in Nepal affected by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015, which killed thousands and affected millions.

Kishor said: "We have picked the Gurkha Welfare Trust because we feel that after the school has been built, it will be managed and looked after well."

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