Two Carlisle NSPCC staff members have signed up to trek through the Transylvanian Alps in aid of the children’s charity.

Amy McQueen and Sandra Jones have already begun training for the five-day challenge in Romania, taking place in July.

To help boost sponsorship, they have organised a festive coffee morning, taking place on Monday at the Carlisle Service Centre, in Chatsworth Square.

Sandra recently returned from China, where she and husband Mark trekked the Great Wall of China to support the charity - raising more than £7,000.

It was a major challenge for the 52-year-old, who was terrified of heights. But after overcoming her demons, she has already signed up for her next fundraiser.

This time she will also be joined by Amy, who is the acting team manager at the Carlisle service centre.

She said: “I’m super excited about the trek, and also feeling a bit daunted.

“But I hike in Scotland quite a bit and as part of my training I’m going to go up some fells in Cumbria. A group of us are also going to walk the 26 miles along Hadrian’s Wall.

“I am really happy to be doing this for such a good cause. I’m really proud to work for the NSPCC.”

Sandra, the charity’s community fundraising manager for Cumbria, said she and her husband has such a fantastic experience in China, they were keen to test their physical fitness in another part of the world.

The Transylvanian trek will be through forests and Alpine meadows, up to the rugged peaks of the Carpathians - reaching heights of 2,200m.

She said: “We decided we would sign up for Transylvania when we were away in China. It was such an amazing experience that we just wanted to have another challenge to embark on.”

The Get Your Sparkle On coffee morning is being held at the Chatsworth Square service centre on Monday, between 9.30am and 1pm.

The money raised will be put towards Amy and Sandra’s sponsorship totals, which will help to fund the NSPCC’s work.

Sandra is urging everyone to come along.

She said: “The coffee morning on Monday should be a fun event and we would really appreciate people coming along to support us.

“We are inviting guests to wear something sparkly, and the best sparkly dressed person will win a prize.

“As well as refreshments there will be a table top and cake sale, a raffle and a name the bear competition.”

The event, which has a £3 entry fee, will also be raising awareness of the charity’s Christmas Appeal, Light for Every Childhood, which is focusing on neglect.

In 2017/18 the NSPCC Helpline dealt with almost 20,000 calls and emails about child neglect.

During this period, calls led to 111 referrals to police, child protection agencies and the local authority in Cumbria.

The NSPCC’s Carlisle Service Centre runs a number of programmes, including supporting young people who have been sexually abused.

Anyone who cannot attend the coffee morning but would like to support Amy and Sandra can visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sandra-jones24 or http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AmyWatson88.