AN ARBROATH MOTHER and daughter have raised £11,000 for the Brain Tumour Research Campaign after completing a trek in Tanzania.

Elaine Johnston decided to do the sponsored trek in memory of her husband Mark, who died from a brain tumour two and a half years ago.

Elaine, a teacher at Chapelpark Primary in Forfar, said she decided to do the trek in Africa because she and her husband had always planned to travel there.

She said, “I couldn’t get time off work to do the main charity challenge so I decided to go over and do it alone. My daughter Kim told me that I couldn’t do it on my own so she did it with me.

“The trip was fulfilling a dream and raising money for charity at the same time.

“It was nice for me and Kim to spend some quality time together.

“The trek itself was in the Rift Valley in the Ngorongoro.

“We climbed up to the rim of the Ngorongoro crater and walked around the rim.

“The trek took four days and we covered just over 100 kilometres.

“I thought that the weather would be hot, but it was actually quite cool and foggy, which made it pleasant weather to walk in.

“The scenery was absolutely outstanding. There weren’t many flowers, but a lot of trees. There was green all around.

“It was very peaceful.”

She went on, “We came across people from the Maasai tribe.

“Our guide could speak their language and they were friendly.

“They were just walking on their own with cattle.

“We also saw quite a lot of animals—giraffes, elephants and baboons.

“Doing the walk was very emotional and it felt quite spiritual as well. We felt that Mark was with us.

Elaine said that she was “delighted” with the amount of money raised.

She said, “At the beginning of the fund-raising I had hoped to raise £5000.

“The staff at Halliburton in Arbroath and Aberdeen, where my husband used to work, were very generous, as were the British Legion Pipe Band, and people at the school have given me money throughout the year.”