A WOMAN who believes her life was "spared for a greater reason" is trekking across The Great Wall of China in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice.

Pat Denney was taken ill five years ago and nearly died when she suffered from blood clots in her lungs following a hysterectomy.

The 64-year old legal secretary will be swapping her PA skills for a six-day walking stint in October when she dons a backpack and walking boots for her big adventure.

She will walk 60 miles of the wall completing chunks of 10 miles each day.

"It is a challenge for me for various reasons" she said. "We'll be staying in different places including a fort on the wall for two of the nights."

Mrs Denney, of Bronsil Drive, Malvern, first heard about Acorns when she was watching the news.

"I said to my husband ' I must do this before I am too old'," she said. "Because the charity deals with life-limited children it makes me grateful I have got three healthy children and two healthy grandchildren." Mrs Denney said she is doing "as much walking" as she can in order to prepare for the big event.

"I'll be away on my 34th wedding anniversary in October", she added. "I'm leaving my husband Allen at home to look after the cats!"

The Acorns charity, is a regional charity that has two hospices in Selly Oak and Walsall and is planning to build a third in Worcester.

"It is the first time we have done a fund-raising challenge on this sort of scale," said Fran Winterbourne, fund-raising officer in the Worcester area. "We are looking at this sort of event to become an annual event."

Mrs Denney needs to find £2,500 to be able to do the walk and has already set about trying to raise the cash.

Sponsors can ring the Worcester fund-raising office on 724040 if they want to either sponsor or join her.