As the manager of Wolverhampton City Council's mediation service, Jane Blair is used to a challenge.

Type=image;ImageID=6682;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Jane Blair has been training on the Wrekin;TitleClass=strong;

So it's probably no surprise that she's set herself a double test... to help save critically endangered tigers by completing an epic trek in the Himalayas.

She sets off next month on the 9 day trek to Chomolhari basecamp, reaching altitudes of around 5,000m on no less than 4 occasions on her way.

The 37 year old, who lives in South Staffordshire, said: "I love animals and being outdoors and wanted to do something way outside my comfort zone to raise money for a conservation related cause.

"This is by far the most physically challenging thing I've ever done - my most strenuous challenge previously was climbing Ben Nevis, but I decided to think big.

"The trek will hopefully see me reach an altitude of around 5,000m 4 times, and at those sorts of heights, there is 40% less oxygen so it'll be really tough.

"I've been training regularly on the Wrekin and having had to overcome shin splints, Achilles tendinitis and reactions to the vaccinations, all since the New Year, I'm finally in good shape and ready to go."

Jane will be using her challenge to raise vital funds for The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's tiger conservation campaign, Tigertime. The Foundation says that, without action, tigers could become extinct within a decade because of the impact of humans from illegal poaching and destruction of their habitat.

Jane said: "This isn't just sentimentality about one species; saving tigers is important for many reasons. The absence of tigers could have significant impact, probably in more ways than we can predict. Ecosystems are so fragile that the removal of a predator at the top of the food chain, like the tiger, can have devastating consequences.

"For instance herbivores which tigers prey on would be free to roam, decimating forest areas which in turn could cause riverbanks to collapse. This could change their course which would be disastrous for countless villages that rely on those rivers for water."

Anyone who would like to sponsor Jane can do so by visiting her fundraising page Type=links;Linkid=6003;Title=Chomolhari trek;Target=_blank;, or by texting JBTT66 followed by £1, £2, £5 or £10, depending on how much they would like to sponsor, to 70070.

Jane has been manager of Wolverhampton's mediation service for nearly 8 years, resolving neighbour and workplace conflict.

  • released: Friday 17 April, 2015