ARE you already thinking about getting fit for 2012? Start preparing now for the trip of a lifetime trekking through the famed Transylvanian Alps.

So far this year Iain Rennie Grove House (IRGH) treks overseas to Mont Blanc and the Himalayas have raised over �31,500 for hospice care in this area.

IRGH have once again joined forces with the Peace Hospice in Watford and The Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted to organise a brand new challenge for adventurous fundraisers.

The Transylvanian Alps represent a small and lightly-populated region of Romania, nevertheless rich in tradition and myths.

On the trek there will be a chance to make contact with local people, sleep in small mountain villages, taste traditional food, and at the same time trek in two of the highest mountain ranges of Romania.

There will also be the opportunity to visit the 14th-Century Romanian icon, Dracula’s Castle which was renovated in the 19th Century by the royal family of Romania.

The last two days of the trip will be spent volunteering at a brand new hospice in Bucharest, in partnership with the Hospices of Hope, the leading palliative care charity in South Eastern Europe.

IRGH needs just eight intrepid participants to sign up by January 22. For further information or to sign up contact Sinead 01727 731002 or sinead.grimes@grove-house.org.uk