An intrepid fundraiser who overcame her fear of heights to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro is putting herself to the test again by sledding across the Arctic Circle.
Farah Idris, of Hounslow, will brave temperatures as low as -45F during her arduous 250km journey on a husky-drawn sled through rolling highlands and thick forests in April.
She hopes to raise £4,000 in sponsorship for the wildlife charity Born Free Foundation by completing the expedition, on which is due to depart from Tromso, in northern Norway, on April 12 and arrive in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, seven days later.
The operations manager raised more than £11,000 for Hope for Children by scaling Africa's highest peak in 2011.
She ran the London Marathon for charity the following year, and in 2013 organised Brarch Day for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, for which women were asked to wear their bras over their clothes and make a donation.
"I'm sure all my friends were thinking 'it's the start of the year, what's Farah going to do this time?'" she said.
"I'm not good with the cold but I had to do something tricky if I wanted their support again because they're probably tired of my fundraising challenges.
"I wanted to do something for animals this year and I thought that fitted in nicely with the huskies."
* You can sponsor Ms Idris and help support Born Free Foundation's work to prevent animal cruelty and protect endangered species by visiting www.virginmoneygiving.com/farah.idris.
