A police officer from Kilburn will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and raising thousands of pounds for charity in memory of his late brother.

Ishaan Joshi will take on the take on the world’s tallest freestanding mountain in support of the Cardiomyopathy Association on October 9.

The 25-year-old’s brother Prashant had a cardiac arrest and died suddenly on his way to play football at the age of 22 in 2009.

A post mortem result showed he had the inherited heart muscle disease cardiomyopathy which caused his heart to thicken, affecting its rhythm and its ability to pump effectively.

Other members of the family have since had in-depth heart checks for the condition.

Mr Joshi, who serves in London, said: “Prashant had a heart of gold. He was a young man who gave to others before himself. He was a role model and the greatest brother anyone could wish for. He was a great son, brother, cousin and friend.

“In his memory, I’m now planning to follow suit and help others affected by cardiomyopathy. People who sponsor me today will help provide help to other families with cardiomyopathy in the future.

“I also want to raise awareness of the disease which is the biggest medical cause of sudden death in people aged under 35.”

Kilimanjaro which is in Tanzania is more than 19,000 feet and climbers face a range of climate zones as well as altitude sickness during the eight day trek.

Temperatures range from hot and humid tropical rainforest to polar conditions at the summit but Mr Joshi said he is ready to take on the challenge.

“I am relatively fit and healthy. I go to the gym frequently and have competed as an amateur boxer representing the police,” he said.

“But climbing Kilimanjaro is really tough and demanding and many people who climb it do not manage to get to the top. So I am doing a lot of extra and harder uphill training. I’m doing more running and cycling to strengthen my legs and am planning to climb Snowden or Scafell in the UK, and a couple of peaks in the French Alps before I go.

“Fundraising is going very well and I’ve already reached £3,000 but I want to raise much more.”

To make a donation visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/IshaanJoshi