A WOMAN is set to brave the elements and hike across the Sahara Desert in memory of her father.

Rachel Young of Edithmead will be taking part in Weston Hospicecare’s Sahara Desert trek in November after the charity cared for her father, Derek Vincent, before he died in December 2018.

The trip is being organised by the hospice as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations and participants will take part in a six-day trip trekking in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

The 45-year-old signed up to take part in the challenge to help raise money for the ‘amazing’ hospice in recognition of their work with her father.

Hospice nurses initially helped care for Derek in his home before he spent three weeks at the hospice’s inpatient unit in the final days of his struggle with skin cancer.

Rachel said: “All the staff at the hospice are amazing. As soon as we’d been contacted by the hospice it was like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders.

“Not only do they take care of your loved one, they also look after the family members. My sister found it all extremely hard and was very emotional but the support of the hospice counsellor really helped her.

“It was great to know that their support was there for all of us during dad’s time in the hospice, and knowing that the support is still there now if we feel we need it.”

Rachel has previously supported the hospice through events like the Mendip Challenge and Midnight Beach Walk and said she is excited to take part in a bigger adventure.

She said: “I’d already decided to do this year’s Mendip Challenge in memory of my dad and I was looking for all the sign-up info on the hospice Facebook page when the Sahara Desert popped up.

“It starts on what would have been my dad’s birthday, so it took my interest instantly.

“I thought about the three weeks he was in the hospice and how I could help raise money so the hospice would then be able to help and support another family going through such a sad and difficult time.”

The Sahara challenge will see walkers tackle a route through one of the most famous landscapes on earth, supported by Berber guides and a camel train.

Rachel said she‘cannot wait’ to take on the challenge and she has fantastic support from her friends and family.

She said: “I’m very excited to be trying something completely out of my comfort zone and meet new people who are in the same boat as me. I’m a little bit scared, however, of snakes and scorpions and having no access to gin.

“I think I’m going to be quite tearful on Dad’s birthday and I’m sure I’ll be reminiscing on and off throughout the day, but I’ll also feel very proud to be doing something in his honour.”