GROVE House is offering adventurous travellers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in an 11-day Himalayan Challenge.

The trip, which will take place in October next year, is being organised by Grove House, the St Albans day hospice, in partnership with three other local hospices, the Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted, the Peace in Watford and Iain Rennie Hospice at Home in Hemel Hempstead.

It will provide participants with a unique opportunity to make a valuable contribution to end-of-life care across two continents, in India and here in Hertfordshire, while also experiencing some of the world’s most astounding terrain in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Paul Parrish, director of fundraising at Grove House, said: “This is the first time we’ve been involved with an event like this; it will give our supporters the amazing opportunity to both help out at an overseas cancer centre, as well as undertaking a spectacular personal challenge trekking the foothills of the Himalayas. This really is a trip of a lifetime and we hope that it will generate a great deal of interest.”

Paul added: “This challenge is exciting for Grove House on another level too. Our four hospices already collaborate very successfully together in a variety of capacities, be that on a clinical level or sharing educational and training projects but this is the first joint fund-raising initiative of this scale that we have hosted together.”

The 11-day challenge departs on October 7, 2011, and returns on October 18.

The comprehensive itinerary combines two days volunteering at a cancer centre in Delhi, followed by an amazing trek in the foothills of the mighty Dhauladhur Range and finally a visit to the architectural landmarks of the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Red Fort in Delhi, before returning home to England. The net proceeds from just 20 trekkers will generate over �20,000 to pay for local cancer care.

If you are interested in joining the trek, come along for an informal chat at an open evening to be held at Sportspace, Park Road, Hemel Hempstead, at 7.30pm on Thursday, September 30.

Refreshments will be provided and there will be presentations from the organising travel company, Different Travel and information about the work of the four hospices as well as the cancer centre in India. Please let sinead.grimes@grove-house.org.uk know if you would like to come.

If you register for the challenge before December 1, you can take advantage of an early bird registration of just �99, a saving of �200 on the usual registration fee.

To register or for more information please visit www.trekindia4charity.org or contact Sinead on 01727 731002 or email sinead.grimes@grove-house.org.uk