A GREENOCK doctor says she is ‘excited and apprehensive’ as she gears up for the challenge of a lifetime in Tanzania to raise money for a local cause.

Dr Joyce Cameron, 60, is set to take on Mount Kilimanjaro next week in a fundraising bid for Ardgowan Hospice.

The charity effort will see her climb the almost 6,000-metre high peak – which is the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world.

Joyce initially decided to take on the challenge to mark her 60th birthday, but decided to launch the fundraiser after taking up a role at the hospice in February.

She said: “I’m a Greenock girl, born and raised.

Joyce with her dog MollyJoyce with her dog Molly (Image: George Munro)

“I went away to university in Aberdeen when I was 17 and basically didn’t come back for 40 years.

“For the last 30 years I’ve been working in Edinburgh, but last summer I retired and I wanted to come back home.

“I thought I was retired but I popped in for a coffee with the consultant and the next thing I knew, I had a job at the hospice.

“When I started working here, I just thought it would be a shame not to use the opportunity to do some fundraising.

“It goes without saying, this is an amazing place. It changes lives for people. The work they do here is phenomenal.”

Joyce will take on the challenge alongside a group of women she has never met before.

She added: “I was looking for something that would be a physical and psychological challenge to mark my birthday.

“I saw an advert on Facebook for a ladies group climbing Kilimanjaro. I just thought, ‘that’s the one’.

“It’s a group of ladies who didn’t know each other before, but we’re becoming friends planning this adventure.

“It’s not just about getting to the top, it’s going to be about the journey and the whole experience.”

Joyce has set a fundraising target of £1,000 ahead of the hike, with her Just Giving page currently sitting at more than £700.

To donate, go to justgiving.com.