Two women, one from Shipley, the other from Skipton, are preparing for a visit to the Great Wall of China.

Adventurous Susan Docherty, 26, of Shipley, and Liz Humphrey-Williams, who works for Craven Council, are taking part in a pioneering 100km charity walk along the ancient structure.

They have been chosen separately by the charity Scope to be among 200 people from around the country to take part in the event.

But to confirm their places on the expedition they first had to raise at least £2,000 for the charity, which hopes the event will generate almost £500,000 for cerebral palsy sufferers.

Now thanks to sponsorship pledges, donations and a series of fundraising events - including the preparation of a three-course Indian meal for 30 friends - Susan has topped that total and is due to jet off to Beijing for the trip of a lifetime on Sunday, June 7.

With the Chinese authorities granting Scope a special permit giving access to sections of the wall not normally open to the public, Susan, Liz and the other fundraisers will be among the first Westerners allowed to walk on them. The walkers will be camping next to the Great Wall by night and the hike ends in Beijing's Tianemen Square five days later.

Susan, who works as a volunteer advisor with the Citizens Advice Bureau and also has part-time jobs with the Royal Mail and Students' Union at Bradford and Ilkley Community College, said: "I've been walking to and from work and at weekends up in the Yorkshire Dales to get ready but it still hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm going.

"It is going to be fairly tough because although the sections near Beijing have been made into nice stone paths for the tourists, our route will take us through areas accessible only on foot with narrow ridges and steep climbs and descents.

"I'm really excited about it though, looking forward to spending some time in Beijing and definitely aiming to make the most of it because it's a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

"Hopefully this event will raise a lot of awareness about Scope's work - £2,000 is enough to buy a wheelchair and all the money raised will help those with cerebral palsy, which impairs muscle movement and affects about one in 400 people.''

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