A BUSINESSMAN and his daughter are trading in their usual summer holiday for a gruelling walking challenge in a bid to help terminally ill children.
Jon Lester, 51, of Bramcote, and daughter Abi are planning to walk nearly 200 miles in a coast to coast challenge to raise money for Caudwell Children's Keep The Dream Alive appeal.
The pair will start from St. Bees on the West Coast of Cumbria on Saturday, May 18, and finish at Robin Hood's Bay near Whitby.
The money they are raising will be used to send poorly children on a once in a lifetime holiday to Florida.
The pair decided to take up the challenge after being told that some Notts children may not be able to go on the trip due to lack of money.
Mr Lester said: "Having been fortunate enough to have two healthy daughters myself I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to have a terminally ill child.
"To then hear that for many of these people this will be the one and only holiday they will ever have as a family and it may not happen without the help of the public made me determined to help. "
The father and daughter team will cover nearly 15 miles a day and hope to finish the challenge in two weeks.
The pair walk often and recently completed a trek up Kinder Scout in Derbyshire.
Daughter Abi Lester, 20, of Buxton, Derbyshire, added:
"I have always wanted to do a trek of this size and because we will be raising money for charity it will be even better.
"It will be gruelling but worth it when we raise the money for poorly children to go on holiday.
"We will be camping and waking up early to get on with the walk."
Caudwell Children is a non-condition specific charity that have supported children with over 500 different medical conditions.
Their next trip will be to Florida in December and costs £7,000 per family but this may not go ahead if the money cannot be raised.
Media appeals manager Rebecca O'Connor from Caudwell Children said: "Raising this money is essential, as for some of these children they will not experience another holiday.
"What makes the trips unique is that we take a dedicated team of Paediatric Doctors and Paramedics to accompany the families, allowing children with very high medical needs to travel, often for the first time in their short lives.
Anybody wanting to sponsor Jon and Abi and help Keep The Dream Alive should visit www.justgiving.com/jonandabigocoast2coast or text CCDD54£(amount) to 70070.