A PADIHAM woman will undertake a five-day trek across the desert of Morocco in aid of Help for Heroes.

Joanne Thompson, 25, was inspired to do the Sahara walk, the equivalent of 2½ marathons, by her brother in the Army.

Engineer Daniel Smith, 23, of the Royal Engineers, joined the forces aged 16.

Now Joanne, a quantity surveyor living in Manchester, hopes to raise £5,000.

She said: “I really like Help for Heroes’ work and wanted to do something for them. I saw on their website that they ran two or three big fund-raising events every year, and this was one.

“I chose the Morocco walk because it was different. They also offered a trip to Kilimanjaro, but I wanted to do something no one had heard of before.”

She has been supported by her family and husband Daniel, 37, who have found themselves getting involved in the preparations.

She said: “I’ve been doing lots of walks, and dragging my husband out with me. I’m also getting my body used to heat, so I’ve been going to the sauna.

My family all think I’m bonkers, but they’re very supportive.

“My mum is the secretary at Padiham Primary School, and arranged for me to go in yesterday.”

Joanne will complete the walk in a team of eight, who will not actually meet until they arrive at Heathrow Airport.

The trek starts on March 4.

To sponsor Joanne, visit www.bemycharity.com/joanne2509.