A HINT of chocolate, swig of Lucozade and a dose of cod liver oil is the unusual recipe powering a galloping granny in her 12-mile trek for charity.

Sprightly 75-year-old Patricia Fenton has hiking boots at the ready to hit the trail from Little Malvern Priory at 10am to Worcester Cathedral to help raise £1,000 for Cheltenham Cancer Research on Saturday.

The retired hospital sister and midwife of Madresfield Road, Welland near Malvern has already limbered up for the challenge, with three 12-mile walks and a mammoth 18-miler, during the last three weeks alone.

The keen walker, who regularly makes a four-mile shopping trip into Malvern, believes eating sensible small meals, minimal alcohol and a regular spoonful of cod liver oil have helped keep her supple in later life.

Confident

"I've always been a keen walker. I think the 18 miles was a little beyond me, but I'm confident of completing the trek from Malvern to the Cathedral," she said.

"I'm going to have three brief stops along the route, have a couple of bites of chocolate and some Lucozade to keep me going."

Mrs Fenton, who has four grandchildren and sings in her church's choir, can proudly boast to walking at military marching speed of three-miles-per-hour.

She has received lots of support and sponsorship from the parishioners of St Leonard's church in Newland and its community chaplain The Ven Dr Mark Dalby.

Her daughter, Julie Allsopp, who runs The Vaults pub at Link Top, Malvern, has also been asking customers to chip in towards the funds.