Everest climber Mollie Hughes awarded rare Blue Peter badge

The world's youngest woman to climb Mount Everest from both sides has become one of the few adults to receive a GOLD Blue Peter badge.

Mollie Hughes with her gold Blue Peter badge. Picture; SWNS

Inspirational Mollie Hughes, 26, was in the Blue Peter garden on Thursday night when it was announced live on air that she would be receiving the accolade.

The Edinburgh-based climber had previously ascended the south side of Mount Everest in 2012 at the age of just 21.

Mollie reached the summit of Mount Everest with guide Jon Gupta and two sherpas in the early hours of 16 May 2017.

Mollie Hughes at 7350m on Mount Everest north side during her 2017 climb. SPicture; SWNS

Referring to her award, an emotional Hughes, said: “I am both surprised and humbled by this super cool award of a gold Blue Peter badge.

“I’m absolutely thrilled. You could say I’m on top of the world - again.

“It’s wonderful to be recognised in this way, but more importantly I hope my record-breaking Everest climb and this gold Blue Peter badge will really inspire young people across the country.”

Mollie Hughes at 7350m on Mount Everest north side during her 2017 climb. SPicture; SWNS

Ewan Vinnicombe, Editor of Blue Peter, said: “Mollie’s exceptional achievement is an inspiration to our viewers.

“Our gold Blue Peter badge is very well deserved. We’ve been following Mollie’s story and were pleased to see a Blue Peter badge make it to the summit of Everest with her.”

During her ascent of Everest, Hughes also succeeded in raising thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK by asking people to pledge £1 for very metre she climbed.

The climber is currently undertaking speaking engagements throughout the UK, hoping her climb to the top of the world will inspire as many children as possible to pursue their own ambitions in life.

Each year a handful of gold badges are awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements, bravery, inspiration and citizenship.

Tim Peake, the British astronaut, Oscar-winning film director Steven Spielberg and children’s author JK Rowling are among the adult recipients of CBBC Blue Peter’s coveted top award.

The award is a gold-plated brooch in the shape of the iconic Blue Peter ship logo.

Mollie is three years younger than Maya Sherpa (Patale), of Nepal, who in 2007 was aged 29 when she summited Everest for the second time.

She is also 28 years younger than Lynne Hanna, of Northern Ireland, who in 2016 and at the age of 54 became the first British woman to achieve ascents from both the north and south.

In 1975, Junko Tabei, of Japan, became the first female climber to summit the mountain.

Mount Everest was officially successfully first climbed by the mountaineers Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953.