A COUNTRYSIDE ranger who has raised more than �10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support is heading to Nepal later this year in a bid to raise even more money for the charity.

Judith Arnold, a familiar face at Hinchingbrooke Country Park, will take part in the Nepal Hiking Challenge in November and needs to raise �3,500.

It will be her third major expedition with Macmillan – the first, a trip to Iceland, coincided with her being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000.

She said: “I was diagnosed in December 2000 and had a couple of operations either side of Christmas. That was followed by chemotherapy between February and June.

“Before I was diagnosed, I had already signed up for a Macmillan trek in Iceland so that was all a bit spooky. Instead of having radiotherapy straight away, I went off to Iceland and came back and had it in September.”

Judith, mum to Lucy, now 19, said going to Iceland during her treatment was “mad” but said it was something positive to look forward to.

She said: “That was my goal. When you are facing something so horrible, it helps to have something to look forward to. Going to Iceland was my motivation, my mission, to get through a pretty horrible time.”

Judith, 49, was just 37 when she was diagnosed. She was given the all-clear in 2006 but continues to fundraise for Macmillan to highlight the vital services they provide to patients and their families.

Her trip to Iceland raised more than �7,000 while a trip to Peru to walk the Inca Trail in 2005 raised �3,000.

Judith said: “Macmillan is there for the whole family. Everybody knows that there are doctors and nurses funded by Macmillan but what often gets missed is the support they provide to the wider family. They also provide financial grants to help with the cost of travel and heating. I don’t think that is publicised enough. The palliative care they provided for my dad was brilliant too.”

INFORMATION: One of Judith’s fundraising events for the Nepal trip is a family quiz evening at Hinchingbrooke Country Park next Friday (April 13). Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start for teams of no more than six people.

CONTACT: To book a table or sponsor Judith, call 07810 637547.