Yapton woman takes on hike to help lepers

Sue Clyde will be walking for a week through Nepal to raise money for leprosy sufferers.

The individuals have been ostracised since Biblical times. The disfiguring disease causes families to be broken up and victims are forced to beg to survive.

But the disease can be cured with a 21 course of medication. Reconstructive surgery costs more. Sue is determined to help at least 70 people receive treatment as a result of her walk from Nepal's second town of Pokhara.

She said: 'I am passionate about helping people with leprosy. They are turned away by their families but I am used to having a lot to do with them.

'The people who suffer from this disease can't speak up for themselves. They are impoverished and don't know how to speak out. They are not like us who will protest about a hospital being downgraded.'

Sue's trek will take her through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. She will be among 20 walkers backed by a team of sherpas and joined by a doctor who rebuilds the bodies of lepers in a hospital in Kathmandu.

She has just retired from her job as a nurse at a GPs' surgery in Arundel. She is a keen walker and recently boosted her fitness with a cycle ride along the River Danube.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Sue should visit her www.justgiving.com/sueclyde website.