A WORCESTER woman has completed a 100-mile trek through the Namibian desert to raise money for a charity which defuses landmines in war zones.

Samantha Charnock spent 10 days enduring temperatures reaching 45C, eating Oryx and Ostrich Salad, abseiling and walking to raise money for the Mines Advisory Group.

She became involved with the charity after a friend lost his sight defusing the devices after the Gulf War.

After raising £2,500, she arrived in Namibia on Thursday, October 11, for the trek from Windhoek to Swakupmund.

"On the first day, we had a 13-hour flight followed by a five-hour car journey," the coffee shop worker revealed. "Then we were dumped in the middle of nowhere and began the first three-hour walk."

On the second day, the 30 walkers and guides scaled Blood Mountain before descending into a ravine called The Devil's Kitchen.

"We were told if we got stuck in there we'd never get out because the trucks can't make it in," the 34-year-old added.

"Every morning we'd get a wake-up call at 6.15am, have about one-and-a-half-hours to pack everything up, and start walking."

The group would stop to pick up water and food before they reached camp at night.

In the evenings, lectures were given by MAG, Save the Rhino and the game park owner.

"The most amazing sight was when I was coming over a ridge and saw a herd of 20 or 30 zebra running across a plain with dust flying behind them," said Samantha, of Bromsgrove Street, Barbourne.

"At one point, our guide looked at a paw print and told us a leopard had been here. The print was just four hours old.

"It was terrifying to think an animal, which could have finished off half the group, was only four hours away.

"A trip like this should be done by everyone. It's a life-changing experience."

Samantha admitted there were times when she felt she could not complete the challenge.

"The feeling of exhilaration when we made it to the end was so great that we just ran through the finishing line, even though we were absolutely knackered," she said.

She thanked her bosses Steve Sartorri and Karen Jones, and paid tribute to her parents, Margaret and Michael Morgan, and her daughter Olivia.

"What I was really surprised about was the generosity of Worcester people when I was raising the money," she said.