A PENSIONER who is battling an inner ear infection that affects her balance and a tremor which causes her right arm to shake is taking on the Coast to Coast for disabled children.

Trish Hanlon, from Catterick Garrison, will start her 192 mile walk on Saturday, February 18, in aid of Newlife, the charity for disabled children.

Mrs Hanlon, 67, said: "We have three lovely, healthy grandchildren so it seemed natural to want to do something to help other children who are less fortunate."

Newlife is the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness and has helped 1,274 children across Yorkshire.

Mrs Hanlon, who has a vestibular condition which affects the part of the inner ear and brain that processes sensory information involved with controlling balance, added: “Two years ago I lost the balance in my right ear and was staggering everywhere. My brain has had to be retrained to accept that as normal but it feels as though I am on board ship all the time, listing. The tremor comes and goes but under times of stress it can become quite violent. So the 192-mile walk is a real challenge for me, which is why I am tackling it in stages.”

To support Mrs Hanlon go to: justgiving.com/fundraising/Trish-Hanlon-C2C or www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/TrishC2C.

To find out more about Newlife and how it supports families, go to: www.newlifecharity.co.uk/local.