A teacher is on a mission to carry a pebble from the west coast of England to the east.

Lynda Lloyd will be raising cash for a charity helping sufferers of pituitary disorders, a rare problem her husband Terry suffers from.

She will be setting out on her walk from St Bees, on the west coast of England, on July 24.

She intends to carry a pebble from the shore at St Bees over 190 miles to Robin Hood's Bay, in the east, in the sponsored fundraiser.

The trek is expected to take more than 20 days and she will stay in youth hostels and bed and breakfast on route.

The marathon walk is in aid of a charity called Pit-Pat that has been developed to help people who have brain tumours and disorders of the pituitary.

Mrs Lloyd, 53, of Ranscombe Lane, Glynde, said: "My husband has had a pituitary tumour and has problems. It is a very lonely experience because it is so rare.

"Somebody put us in contact with Pit-Pat two years ago when it was just coming together and we were so grateful for all the information so I thought why not try to do the coast to coast charity walk to help them."

Mrs Lloyd, a teacher at St Andrew's Church of England School, in Hove, discovered her love for long distance walking last year when she completed the Herriot Way.

Now she regularly walks at weekends, during school holidays and keeps fit in the gym in preparation for her hike.

She said: "I am scared to death but I am also looking forward to it.

"It's something I have always wanted to do but it has always been in the future and all of a sudden I am going to be driving up there in a few days. It's quite scary."

She will be accompanied on various stages of the walk by friends, her sons Paul and Matthew, daughter-in-law Katie and daughter Rachel. Her husband Terry will join her for the finale.

Mrs Lloyd is hoping to raise more than £1,000 in sponsorship for the charity.

She explained: "Because pituitary disease covers a group of illnesses, all with their own problems, many patients will not know of others with the same illness and many carers will have no one with whom to share their problems.

"As these illnesses are long term, it is very traumatic to have to cope alone, either as a patient or as a carer."

The pituitary gland is the size of a pea and located in a bony hollow beneath the base of the brain just behind the bridge of the nose.

It controls all the other hormone glands, including the thyroid, adrenals, the ovaries and testicles and growth hormone.

Most disorders of the pituitary are caused by a benign tumour which often needs surgery and in many cases, radiotherapy.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Mrs Lloyd can contact her or her husband on 01273 858215.