David Gordon-Watkins, 65, of De Walden Court, Meads Road, will be joining 20 others for a trip of a lifetime to raise money for Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The group, who come from all over the country, aim to collect £60,000 for the human rights organisation and to raise awareness for the Dalit people of India who are struggling to escape poverty and slavery.

David, who has been training for six months, said, "I am immensely looking forward to it, it will be a great experience.

"In preparation for it, I have been playing a lot of sport and taking ice cold baths."

David has been hard at training on the Downs and in June he travelled to Poland where he took part in mountain walking to prepare for the sub zero conditions.

The Nanda Devi Alpine Trek involves trekking for six hours a day. World Expeditions has organised the trip and Trailblazers has produced an itinerary which starts at Gurson Meadows and with the help of tour guides, finishes in Ghat.

Both men and women, ranging from their early 20s to senior citizens make up the group, which has only met once in January.

They leave together for India on October 13 and return on October 26 and have each had to raise £1,500 to pay for the trip.

If you would like to donate money, please contact David on 01323 411475.