A KIDDERMINSTER mother will be joining an all-female group heading for the heights to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro.

Karen Holgate, head of the Victim Support witness service at Worcester crown and magistrates court, will be setting off for the ten-day challenge on Friday.

She will be part of the first all-female group, whose ages range from 16 to 60, taking on the 19,341ft African mountain for Victim Support, a charity which supports crime victims.

Miss Holgate said: “They are all women who work for the service or have been helped by it.”

The 38-year-old, of Hurcott Road, said she had been training for the climb by going to the gym and walking at weekends. The group has also taken part in a trial run up Mount Snowdon, in Wales “I have been doing some training for a while now and I just hope it will be enough," said Miss Holgate.

The group will set off to Tanzania and will take five days to walk up the trails with the final steepest part of the climb taking 14 hours. They will be camping during the night and the descent is expected to take two days.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Miss Holgate, who is being backed by her partner Chris Shewry and children Sharice, 20 and Lauren 17. “It’s an exciting challenge.”

People can sponsor Miss Holgate online at justgiving.

com/Karen-Holgate.