A daughter will take on a Transylvanian trek to raise money for the hospice who cared for her father as he bravely battled cancer.

Maisie Jo Manning, 26, will be striding out in aid of Farleigh Hospice next May.

The charity cared for her dad Barry after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma aged 33.

He sadly died two years later.

Now Ms Manning, of Beeleigh Road, Maldon, will join Farleigh Hospice’s five day Romania mountain trek.

She said: “The care they gave my dad was amazing, they accommodated my mum to stay there with him too, in his last days.

“The aftercare for me and my brother was amazing too - we attended bereavement sessions there once he had died.

“Farleigh Hospice is only 40 per cent government funded and the rest of the money is through donations, so for me it is so important to fund raise in my dad’s memory, as I want other people to be able to benefit from the care that my dad received.”

The 73km trek will take in the Carpathian Moutains where Ms Manning will get to see ancient castles, historic towns and learn about the vampire legends.

She will also visit a Romanian hospice.

Ms Manning will fund her own expenses and has been set a £2,100 fundraising target by the hospice.

“I saw on the Farleigh website that it was being advertised, and I have never taken part in such a big challenge before so I thought that I would apply to take part.

“It’s going to be very challenging, but doing things in my dad’s memory spurs me on.”

Ms Manning, who works at Lush Cosmetics, will take on the challenge with best friend Kurt Scillitoe, 27, a carpenter from Castle Hedingham.

She said: “We will be doing practice walks, as well as swimming for strength and general fitness increasing.

“We will be carrying our own bags on the trek so building strength is important.

“Our place on the trip has been self-funded, so none of the money that is fundraised goes towards paying for anything to do with us getting there.”

The trek takes place from May 4 to May 11.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/maisie-manning3.