A 21-YEAR-OLD will be hiking and trekking around Peru for ten days to raise money for a cancer charity.

Dan Ellis, of Penarth, said he wanted to challenge himself to do something a bit different and spotted the opportunity to take part in the trek while raising money for Marie Curie.

Mr Ellis has done a variety of charity events before, including walking over broken glass to raise funds for Morel Court Care Home in Penarth.

However, he said he wanted to do something bigger. He said: "I’d heard that Marie Curie would run events including overseas ventures that they used for fundraising. After a while of deliberation I decided that being able to something like this whilst raising money for such a worthwhile cause that it was the perfect option for me.

"Everyone has their individual experiences when it comes to cancer. End of life care is such an important thing to someone living with a terminal illness and Marie Curie do such a fantastic job ensuring people get the best care they possibly could.

"I feel that If everyone could do their part, no matter how big or small so that organisations such as Marie Curie, and many others can stay well funded so that people with these illnesses can get the best possible treatment available in the best possible surrounding."

The 21-year-old aims to raise £4,000. He will be travelling across Peru from May 8 to the 18 next year. Mr Ellis and several other people will be hiking for around six to nine hours each day and will stay with locals each night. They will also spend time with local schools.

Speaking about how he feels about the trip, Mr Ellis said: "I’ve never done anything quite like this and I think I’m most looking forward to not only the challenge of doing the trek itself at such a drastic altitude increase to what we experience here, but I'm ensuring that I train ready for it and raise a good amount of money through fundraising."

Mr Ellis has a JustGiving page set up. To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/danielellis2018