A TEAM of 42 intrepid explorers set off for India on Thursday where they will be trekking 67km in the Himalayas to raise vital funds to support Worthing hospice St Barnabas House.

The expedition will take place over the course of ten dayswith the team flying to Delhi before transferring to Dharamshala where the trek begins.

Trekkers will journey through the spiritual heart of Northern India, home to the Dalai Lama and centre of the Tibetan community in the foothills of the Himalayas.

With spectacular views guaranteed, participants will pass through the Kingdom of Gaddi, a semi-nomadic race who spend months wandering the high passes with their cattle, rhododendron forests, Hindu settlements and Buddhist monasteries.

The highest point the team will reach is the fascinating Laka Got, which lies at 3,500 metres above sea level and is situated at the tip of a glacier.

While at Laka Got, trekkers will have the opportunity to hang prayer flags to celebrate the lives of loved ones, many of whom were cared for by the St Barnabas House nursing teams, either at the hospice or in the comfort of their own homes.

Glen Gillam, 46, Sales Director for Green Insurance Group, from Steyning chose to take on the challenge in memory of his mother and father, both of whom were cared for by St Barnabas House.

Glen said: “My mother, Susan Pamela Gillam, passed away in the old St Barnabas on 22 December 1993.

“She had a lung removed about seven years prior and as I was in my teens I only remember her being tired, leaning on me a lot, and going into hospital but always still smiling and being my mum.

“My family, including my mum, very much protected me from her illness and tried to live life as normally as possible.

“I didn’t understand how ill she was until she passed away. I was 21 years old, so it was a shock.

“She was in and out of the hospice in the months prior to her passing. I remember visiting her there and how warm and kind the staff were to us all.

“When she passed away my brother, father and I were able to be with her at the hospice.”