Fundraising enthusiast Amy Lethbridge, 37, from Kingsbridge, has set off from Heathrow as she begins her journey to the Himalayas, where she will trek around 60 miles in memory of a friend who sadly died after being airlifted to hospital.

Amy, who works at Tesco Kingsbridge, departed on November 6 for a 10-day challenge in aid of Devon Air Ambulance, with her return scheduled for November 16.

The self-funded trek will involve around five days of walking at altitudes of just over 3,000 metres above sea level.

Amy has already met her first fundraising target of £2,500 and is now hoping to reach £3,000 by the end of her challenge.

She is taking on the challenge in memory of her friend DJ Foale, who was airlifted to Derriford Hospital but sadly did not survive.

Amy originally planned to undertake a Grand Canyon trek in DJ's memory in 2016, but couldn't take part after suffering a stroke.

After completing charity treks along the Great Wall of China and through the Sahara Desert, she decided to take on another challenge to support the air ambulance service.

She said: "I knew that I wanted to do another trek in memory of DJ for Devon Air Ambulance, and now I'm doing this one."

Amy's preparations were interrupted by an ankle injury in June, when she tore a ligament and fractured part of the bone.

“I was out of action for quite a while, but I've been training getting out for walks and making sure that I can hit at least ten to twelve thousand steps a day.” she said.

She added that she now felt ready for the challenge, and said that even if the walking get tough, she will remember her friend who this is in memory of to spur her on.

As part of her fundraising effort, Amy also invited people to have names included on a T-shirt and flag she will carry to the Himalayas.

“I'm going to take a T-shirt and a flag bearing the names of people who have a connection to Devon Air Ambulance, whether they've sadly lost someone who was airlifted to hospital or someone who has needed medical attention and had the air ambulance called out to them.” she said.

Fifteen names and organisations have been printed on the flag Amy will carry along her journey, which also features a picture of DJ.

The trek will involve a group of around 16 people, with accommodation including hotels, a sleeper train and several nights camping in the mountains.

Amy hopes to share daily updates and videos from the trek, depending on mobile phone signal.

She also thanked Community Champion Cathy Shea and Tesco store manager Simon Harding for supporting her fundraising efforts.

Looking to the future, Amy said fundraising for charity is a huge passion of hers, and already has her sights set on the London Marathon for Devon Air Ambulance in 2028.

She has contacted the charity about a place and hopes to take on the marathon as another personal challenge.

Donations are still open on Amy’s GoFundMe page, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4peyrmku