A LANCASTER woman is to hike 6,000 metres up to the summit of an extinct volcano.

Suzanne Chorley is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, to raise cash to boost sex education and help poverty-stricken farmers.

The 22-year-old, pictured, wants to raise £3,000 to help African Medical Research Funding (AMREF) continue its education programme.

Cash will also support Farm Africa in its work to help produce more food for the families of poor farmers.

As well as battling against the heights in Tanzania, Suzanne will get to see how the charities spend the cash and meet people in the communities she will help.

Suzanne says: "I finished my degree last year, which was the biggest challenge I had ever done, but I was ready for another and this seemed perfect. The walk will be difficult, but it will help brilliant charities which aim to improve the situation in Africa."

Suzanne says she has received some cynical comments from people about giving her cash for her to take a trip across the world.

But she says: " The fund raising is not paying for me to have a holiday. The majority of the money is going to the causes and me going just means that I can see where and how the money is spent."

The former Lancaster University English student has taken up a part-time evening job at Casa Luca in Lancaster, where donation boxes have been placed for people to pledge cash.