A YOUNG businesswoman is to swap life in a picturesque dale to help fight the battle against leprosy, in India.

Sarah Bennett, 23, from Wolsingham in Weardale, County Durham, is joining forces with leprosy paramedic Leah Pattison, and in September she will spend a month dressing sores and tending to sufferers in Maharastra.

Sarah heard from Leah's father Derek about his daughter's campaign to build a £15,000 clinic in Nagpur and fund workers to treat women and children suffering from leprosy.

She was so inspired after meeting Leah, from Frosterley, she became a trustee of her newly-formed charity, called Start, and offered her business skills to help run the organisation.

The autumn trip will be the first time that Sarah has helped to address the suffering at first hand.

Said Sarah, who runs a giftshop, Silver with Elegance, in Wolsingham: "I've never done anything half-hearted in my life. Leah and I are a very good team and the skills we both have we can utilise to the best of our ability.

"I've prepared as much as I can. I've read a lot about India and had all my injections, and as much as I think I'm going to hate it, I really want to go.

"I feel very passionately about it."

Like Leah, Sarah has sold a lot of her personal possessions to raise funds for Start.

The charity now has £8,000 towards the clinic and the women expect the licence to run it could take a year to come through.

Any donations to the charity can be made by contacting Sarah on (01388) 527676.