HIGH winds and spitting rain could not stop a determined yoga teacher from completing 36 sun salutations on top of the Malvern Hills.

Katherine Biggs, of Malvern Wells Yoga, had pledged to carry out the series of moves on the morning of her 36th birthday to raise money for the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Trust.

With winds howling around her, Mrs Biggs took under 40 minutes to complete the challenge and has almost reached her target of raising £360 for the charity.

She chose the charity after being diagnosed with the chronic skin condition at the age of 15.

People taking a stroll along the hills and a group of tourists stopped in their tracks to watch as she carried out the series of sun salutations.

The 36-year-old said: “It was fabulous. It went really well even though it was not good weather – but I never really noticed.

“It was spitting rain while I was doing them but it didn’t pour down until I had finished and we were making our way back down the Malvern Hills.

“When I was doing the sun salutations I took it quite easy and quite slow and methodical.

“I didn’t want to start off too fast, that was my plan really.

“My husband was counting and when I got halfway through I couldn’t believe it – I was thinking, ‘Oh no, I still have to do the same amount again’ but the last half went really quickly.

“Afterwards it was a huge feeling of elation and achievement.

“It wasn’t the hardest thing in the world to do, it wasn’t like running a marathon, but you still had to have endurance.”

After completing the challenge she joined family at the Malvern Hills Hotel, Upper Colwall, for a birthday lunch.

Mrs Biggs has raised almost £300 on her online donation page as well as another £40 offline.

Anyone wishing to help her reach her fund-raising goal can do so by logging on to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MalvernWellsYoga.