An adventurous carer from Shefford is set to trek 100km across the Sahara desert to raise cash for the Parkinson's Disease Society.

Joy Tearle, 47, who works at The Birches, will be tackling the gruelling trek to raise cash for the charity that helps support people like her mother – who was diagnosed with the disease 17 years ago.

And she will be joined by friend Carol Dwan, who helped give her the courage to take the plunge and sign up for the adventure.

She said: "Mum's had to give up driving a requires quite a bit of help from my dad. She's still at home and lucky that she can still do things by herself, it's just a constant worry because she's quite prone to falling over and you worry that she's going to fall and hurt herself badly. You don't know what the future's going to hold.

"It's a great opportunity to challenge yourself as well as raising money for a worthwhile cause."

Accompanied by a caravan of camels and led by local Berber guides, Joy will be trekking for a total of five-and-a half days in temperatures of up to 35C.

The group of 29 trekkers is hoping to raise a massive £70,000 for the charity, which each person having a goal of £2,200.

For the full story see the July 31 edition of the Biggleswade Chronicle.