FROM the blasting heat of Dubai to the blustery cold of the Jurassic Coast in spring, life is taking Kidderminster-born actor Lauren Soley to very different places.

Since leaving the Black Country nine years ago at the tender age of 17 to seek out a professional career in musical theatre, Lauren, now 26, has been on an international tour of Les Miserables, visiting the Middle East, Philippines and Singapore.

She also starred in the show on the West End, but lockdown now sees her tucked away in Devon with her partner Josie Kemp, who she met on Les Mis.

And with theatres and the entertainment industry badly hit by the pandemic, the pair have come up with a new plan – a 100-mile walk along the Jurassic Coast to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The challenge has been prompted by the sudden death of Josie’s mum Pippa Stone last April. Out of the blue she had a seizure which the family later discovered was caused by a brain tumour. Pippa was dead within 18 days. She had just turned 60.

And the tragic coincidence is that it was a brain tumour that had killed Lauren’s dad Glyn at the age of just 43 in the family home at Kingswinford in Stourbridge.

Unlike Pippa, Glyn had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in his twenties and had undergone treatment, only for it to re-occur.

Born in Kidderminster, Lauren was drawn to musical theatre at a young age, and although the family moved to Stourbridge when she was five, she remained a member of the Carpet Trade Operatic Society and retains many friends in the town and in Stourbridge.

There are also many relatives, including mum Beverley and older brothers Guy and Adam still in Stourbridge or nearby who will be cheering Lauren on as she embarks on her windswept, and possibly very wet, walking challenge.

“We’re praying for dry weather,” she said. “The rain ruins my hair!”

But rain or shine, the couple will be setting out on their walk from Exmouth in Devon to Swanage in Dorset, in March. The goal is to complete the challenge in 7 days.

Lauren said: "It is guaranteed to be a shock in comparison to the 100 daily steps we are currently taking during lockdown - from the sofa to the fridge, and back again – but we’re determined to succeed."

To support the couple, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/jurassic-coast-challenge-fundraiser

You can follow their journey on Instagram: @josiekemp0, @laurenjsoley or YouTube: Josie & Lauren, Covers & Covering Ground