THE thought of trekking across the Himalayas poses no problems to superfit slimmer Stephanie Cubbin.

For the 23-year-old medical secretary from Barnard Castle has already conquered one uphill challenge - her weight.

As a size 28 teenager, Stephanie realised she wanted to lose weight, and decided to join a slimming class and a gym. More than four years later, Stephanie is a size 14, and ready to tackle another mountain.

Stephanie, who works at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, is taking part in a trek through Nepal to raise funds for the medical research charity, Action Research.

During the trek, next April, Stephanie will climb as high as 2,500m in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Stephanie will be part of a group of fundraisers, and will be covering 45km during her six-day hike.

To take part in the challenge she needs to reach an initial target of £2,250.

She said: "I want to raise plenty more, and perhaps take part in a later trek after Nepal, possibly along the Great Wall of China.

"I decided to take part after losing so much weight."

To sponsor Stephanie, call her on (01833) 630238, or e-mail her at cublic.house@ic24.net