A WOMAN is hoping to conquer her extreme fear of heights by scaling one of the world's tallest mountains in the name of charity.


Fara Idris, of Ferndale Avenue, Hounslow West, has such bad acrophobia she is unable to use the balcony of her friend's 10th floor apartment.

But the brave PA has less than two months left to prepare for an assault on Mount Kilimanjaro - at 5,882 metres tall, the world's highest freestanding mountain.

She hopes to raise £5,000 for Hope for Children, which helps orphaned, poor and exploited youngsters across the world.

Her preparation began a fortnight ago, when she completed the notorious HellRunner half marathon in freezing temperatures.

She is heading to New York this week, where she plans to test her mettle by scaling the Empire State Building, before taking on some of the biggest peaks in Wales.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro's always been a dream of mine and this seemed like the right time to do it and overcome my acrophobia," said Farah.

"My friend lives in a 10th floor apartment and my fear of heights is so bad I can't even step out onto her balcony at the moment.

"But I'm determined to do this and raise as much as possible for Hope, which does so much to benefit children across the world."

To find out more about Fara's challenge, and to make a donation, visit: www.justgiving.com/Farah-Kili .