More than 26,000 children can be immunised from polio thanks to the fundraising efforts off a Thorpe End woman and her daughter.

Christina Harris, 65, and Victoria, 38, returned from a 92km charity trek through the Sinai desert in Egypt last week.

The six-day walk, including tackling the 7,497ft Mount Sinai, was organised in aid of raising as much money as possible for international children's charity, Unicef.

Part-time department store worker at Jarrold in Norwich, Christina, and her daughter, who lives in Spain, slept Bedouin-style outside, following local trails and making use of camels.

It all started when Christina decided to mark her 65th birthday last September, by undertaking as many activities as possible to collect cash for Unicef, including the trek.

They targeted �3,000 after learning it costs just 10p to put an immunisation drop on a baby's tongue, meaning that would help 30,000 children not get the crippling disease.

So far they have raised over �2,650, with money still coming in. Christina said: 'We're nearly at �3,000 now and if we make that it would be fantastic if we could reach that, so we are keeping it open until June.

'I very much enjoyed it and the Egyptian guys did an amazing job looking after us. It was quite thought-provoking and an experience to see how they cooked with just a few things to make some quite fantastic food for us in the desert.'

The trek was not all fun and games however, as Christina said it was physically challenging as well.

She continued: 'I'd never done anything like it before and at my age I thought I might prevent everybody getting on with it.

'Everyone else on the trip had done numerous things like it before whereas I had never put on a backpack for something like it before!

'But I had done lots of preparation and worked my socks off in the lead up to it, and lost 20lbs in the process, so it went well.

'Although we were both a bit afraid of heights and coming back down in the dark with just torches was a bit of an experience!'

To boost Christina's fundraising, go to http://fundraise.unicef.org.uk/MyPage/egyptrek4charity, or to read Victoria's blog about the trip, go to http://egyptrek4charity.yolasite.com

Are you planning a charity challenge? Contact reporter David Freezer on 01603 772418 or david.freezer@archant.co.uk