A quest to scale the heights of Kilimanjaro will get underway next month - to help raise money for a hospice charity dedicated to caring for seriously ill people in their own homes.

Annie Januszewski, marketing manager at GreenAcres Woodland Burial Park in Beaconsfield, is in serious training for her monumental endeavour.

On February 20 she will begin the 19,341ft ascent of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, in memory of her parents, Mark & Michèle Januszewski.

The extreme trek will take Annie eight days to complete and will see her hiking uphill for on average, 10 hours a day. Annie will not only have to cope with extreme physical fatigue and aching limbs, but also the very high likelihood of altitude sickness which prevents many a hiker from reaching the summit.

The Beaconsfield resident remains confident, however, and said: "I realise that I have not given myself much time to prepare for this event but that just adds to the challenge – I have under two months to get myself as fit and strong as I possibly can. I’ll be walking to and from work on a daily basis and completing much longer, hillier treks at weekends. My poor dog, Zebedee, won’t know what’s hit him."

Annie is no stranger to physical challenges, as she is officially the 50th woman ever to row an ocean a few years ago.

Rennie Grove Hospice Care will be benefiting from Annie’s fundraising efforts: "The nurses at Iain Rennie were such an amazing support to both of my parents prior to their recent deaths. I cannot thank them enough and will always do whatever I can to help them continue their fabulous work."

Annie’s Just Giving page can be found at: www.justgiving.com/Annie-Kilimanjaro