The brother and friends of a 23-year-old man who passed away from drug addiction and bulimia raised more than £1,000 for charity when they scaled Britain’s highest mountain in his memory.

Alex Coate’s friends and family have donated all the money raised by the climb to Stevenage-based addiction charity The Living Room.

Brother Glenn Osborn said: “He had a lot going for him. Unfortunately he had some demons that he just couldn’t seem to overcome. Alex suffered with bulimia and addiction to Class A drugs. We tried so hard to help him. Our parents sought professional help for his bulimia, which for a while seemed to be working, until it progressed on to using drugs to change the way he felt.

“He went into treatment last year and when he came out things seemed to have changed. He was taking positive steps to overcome his illness.”

But sadly Alex, a music technology student at the University of West London, relapsed and was found dead by a housemate in July.

Glenn said: “His death was such a shock to us, to everyone. A huge loss and waste of life, he really was loved so much by everyone who knew him. Obviously his family and friends are still in shock and pain, especially our mum.”

Determined not to let his death be in vain the group decided to climb Ben Nevis and raise money and awareness about The Glebe-based addiction centre.

After his own experience, Glenn is now urging other people facing addiction problems to reach out for support. He said: “There is definitely help out there. It is just finding it and you have to want it.

“A lot of young people who get into drugs think they are invincible and can carry on doing it for years because they think they’ve got loads of time. Unfortunately some of them don’t make it.”

The Living Room opened in 2000 and offers recovery group therapy for every kind of addiction, as well as free group therapy support for family and friends and a free on- site crèche that enables parents to access treatment and improve their parenting skills.

For more visit www.thelievingroom.me.uk or call 01438 355649.

To donate visit http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/stairway.