A beauty therapist has been inspired to climb Africa’s highest mountain to raise money for charity.

Nehal Shah, 27, Lavender Gardens, Stanmore, is will be climbing Kilimanjaro in December with a team of 27 people with the Penny Appeal.

She is hoping to raise £4,500 to build deep water wells in Africa.

She will be setting off with 27 other volunteers on behalf of the Penny Appeal which provides emergency food and medical care, water solutions, organises mass feedings and supports orphan care.

The beautician who works in South Oxhey has been training hard in preparation for the trek to the 19,000 ft peak and is using social media to track her progress.

Mrs Shah was born in Mombasa, Kenya and witnessed hundreds of adults and children queueing up each day to get clean water.

She said: “This is a cause that it is really close to my heart. When you have seen people drinking dirty water and rummaging in waste bins for scraps of food, it really gives a different outlook.

“I have always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro, ever since I was a child, and I was so disappointed that I could not go as part of a Duke of Edinburgh trip in 2006.

“I was nervous when I first signed up to it, but now I am really looking forward to it, so if I miss a gym day I am really sad, which is not something that you hear from many people.”

To prepare for the week of hiking Miss Shah is strengthening her legs in the gym and walking for two hours each day.

So far she and the other volunteers have raised more than £40,000 in their efforts to bring safe fresh water to an entire community.

Miss Shah has held a summer barbeque, and will be putting on a bake sale as well as selling raffle tickets to her clients in order to stump up the cash.

To donate to Nehal’s fundraising, visit her just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nehal-shah.