'How will I know the score?' England footballer to miss Women's World Cup final to climb Kilimanjaro
ITV News Meridian's Jamie Green caught up with Harry Baker before he set off for Kilimanjaro
An England football star from Banbury is preparing for his biggest challenge yet - climbing Kilimanjaro.
Harry Baker plays for England's cerebral palsy football team and has represented his country at four World Cups and three European Championships.
But now he's about to attempt to reach the 6000m summit of the highest mountain in Africa.
It's all to raise money for the Rafiki Thabo Foundation, a charity founded in Oxfordshire which helps people in East Africa to access education.
Harry will make the journey with a group of fellow trekkers from around the country, setting off on Thursday 17th August.
Harry's family are used to him travelling around the world to play football, but their reaction was a little different when he told them about Kilimanjaro.
He said: "My mum couldn’t believe it. My grandma said ‘no, you can’t go. I won’t be able to sleep for a week'.
I told her it was two weeks so she wasn’t too impressed! But ... they’re very excited for me, it’s going to be a great experience."
Harry, whose cerebral palsy particularly affects his left side, said he hasn't always found it easy to embrace his disability - but that has all changed as he's got older.
He said: "Growing up with cerebral palsy, I felt I was different to everyone else... I wanted to be anything but disabled.
"But if it wasn't for my disability, I wouldn't have played for England and I wouldn't be climbing Kilimanjaro."
Jon Uglow, founder of the Rafiki Thabo Foundation, says people like Harry are crucial to making sure the charity can continue its vital work.
He said: "We have a few charity shops in Abingdon, Wooton, Grove and Faringdon and so we don’t have a national platform.
"In times like these, when the cost of living crisis is all around us, raising money and raising profile is absolutely key. We support five hundred scholars and we want to support more.
"Having someone like Harry raise our profile, it makes the world of difference to us."
Harry has been hard at work preparing himself for the physical challenge ahead, but one important thing has still slipped the international footballer's mind.
He joked: "How am I going to keep up with the football scores? I’m going to have to make sure they radio down and keep me up to date."
He will of course miss the Women's World Cup final against Spain on Sunday as he continues his attempt to reach the summit.
The England defender has climbed Snowdon before and, although Kilimanjaro is almost six times higher, he's confident he will be up to the task."
"I'm a person that really likes challenges and overcoming challenges... so I think getting to the peak of Kilimanjaro will be an amazing thing to say I've done."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...