A RETIRED nurse whose passion for trekking has seen her conquer Peru’s Inca Trail and the jungles of Sri Lanka is getting ready for her latest adventure.

Liz Madden, 75, will head to the volcanoes of Costa Rica in Central America in November to raise money for a local cancer charity.

She is hoping to raise at least £5,000 to help support Marie Curie Terminal Care.

The trek will be Mrs Madden’s third challenge for Marie Curie since 2014, and the charity is close to her heart as her mother, Ruby Wood, received care in one of its hospices on three separate occasions. She also previously worked as a Marie Curie nurse in the 1960s, and was a district nursing sister for 25 years across Bradford, based in Windhill and Bolton Woods, Eccleshill, Baildon, and Barkerend.

Mrs Madden. of Bailey Hill Road, Bingley, said: “I’ll be 76 by the time the trip comes around, and it is a tough one, with six days of trekking in rainforests and on volcanoes.

“I’m slightly worried about the aches and pains as I get older, but it’s all about the challenge for me.

“I’m a bit more anxious this time, but I do walk a lot and I do keep fit. It’s good to push yourself with things like this.”

Mrs Madden was part of a team that raised £160,000 for Marie Curie on the trip to Machu Picchu in 2014, and she described the epic journey as a “lifetime’s experience in just ten days.”

She said: “I was a bag of nerves before that first trek, but it was so emotional. I just want to raise more valuable funds for such a worthwhile cause.”

The Costa Rica trek starts on November 11 and takes in the Irazú, Arenal, and Rincón de la Vieja volcanoes, before finishing with a gruelling seven-hour walk from the Las Pailas Trail to the La Cangreja waterfall.

“I have found these trips to be a bit like a pilgrimage, you do have time to think,” said Mrs Madden.

“I think about family, my mum and my son, and those thoughts are at the forefront of your mind even more with the events that have happened in Manchester this week.”

Mrs Madden’s first fundraising event is a charity golf competition at Baildon Golf Club on Sunday, July 9. Mixed couples can enter the Open Mixed Betterball Stablesford event by contacting the club on 01274 595162.

There will also be a raffle with prizes including golf lessons and the chance to play fourballs at other golf clubs.

To donate to Mrs Madden’s cause, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liz-Madden1.