A student in Falmouth will climb six mountains - including Central America's highest peak - as part of a team from Exeter University.

Phoebe Meredith will join the group on the Spires of Fire challenge, which will see them scaling six volcanoes in Guatemala in nine days, including several which are still active.

The team will be tackling Pacaya, Acatenango, Volcan de Fuego, San Pedro, Volcan Zunil and Tajumulco, staying with local families, in hostels and at campsites, and will be raising money for the charity Hope for Children, an international charity which provides support for children who do not meet the criteria set by other organisations.

Phoebe said: "I'm raising money for Hope for Children with a target of £2,790. The three main areas they work in are improving access to education, health and empowering families. What stood out for me is that this isn't short term aid, the work is carried out in a sustainable manner that will continue to benefit the children it helps.

"The charity is currently working in eight countries across the world and has managed to help 161,000 children and their families in the last four years. The UK government is also backing their work until Christmas, by matching every donation for the Head Held High Appeal which is specifically helping children in Africa to have access to education. This can be done very simply by providing a child with a school uniform, the most basic requirement for school attendance."

In the build up to the trip, for which she has already paid £600 out of her own pocket, Phoebe will be raising money through several initiatives, including street collections around Falmouth and Truro after the New Year, and cake sales and movie nights at the Penryn Campus, and her fundraising ends in July. She then flies to to Guatemala on August 28.

As well as fundraising, she has been training at the gym to build up stamina and endurance for the days of heavy trekking.

If you would like to learn more, or support Phoebe in her fundraising efforts, go to falmouth2018.everydayhero.com/uk/phoebe-s-volcano-trek