A GLOUCESTERSHIRE climber has become just the tenth Briton in history to climb the world’s second highest mountain.

Jake Meyer reached the summit of K2 at 8am local time on Saturday, July 21.

It was the Tetbury climber’s third attempt to scale the 8,611-metre peak after bad weather thwarted efforts in 2009 and 2016.

He celebrated by drinking a gin and tonic at the summit.

An army reserve officer who served in Afghanistan, Jake also holds a number of mountaineering records and was once the youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest.

Jake’s latest climb was to raise money for Walking with the Wounded (WWTW), a charity supporting vulnerable veterans of the armed forces to re-integrate back into society through employment.

He said: “I am immensely proud to raise money to help their ongoing support to armed service people who are transitioning back into civilian life.

As a serving army reservist with friends throughout the Armed Forces, some of whom have had life-changing injuries as a result of their service, I am acutely aware of the challenge for those leaving the bubble of the Forces and looking to get on with the rest of their lives.”

Situated on the border of Pakistan and China, K2 has had 364 successful summits and 83 fatalities, meaning it has the second highest fatality rate of any mountain.

First summited in 1954 by two Italian climbers, Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni, K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of the ascent

Ed Parker, CEO and co-founder of WWTW, added: “With Jake’s military background, he has first-hand experience of those who we work with and we are delighted that he has chosen to use his K2 expedition to raise much needed funds for and awareness of WWTW.”

Jake has currently raised £2,200 of his £8,600 target.

To support Jake go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/k22018.