TREK TWO sisters will take their ponies on a 120-mile trek across the North Pennines in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance.

Bridget Pickthall and Sara Hartley will ride from Brompton, Northallerton, to Hincaster, south of Kendal, Cumbria.

Mrs Pickthall will ride her fiveyear- old New Forest cross appaloosa Hope, while Mrs Hartley will ride Bobby, her rare-breed fell pony.

Mrs Pickthall said: "My sister and I are in the position now where we have both got horses.

Sara has had horses for a very long time. I have always ridden, but I have now got a youngster I am bringing up.

"We wanted to look into doing some longer rides and we jokingly said you live in Northallerton and I live in Kendal - why don't we ride in between?' It has all come from that.

"Quite a high percentage of all callouts for the air ambulance are to do with horse-related incidents.

It is almost on a par with road accidents.

"We are both from farming backgrounds and when you are out in the sticks a bit, you really appreciate what the air ambulance does - the speed they can get you back to civilisation and the fact that they can get to remote places."

The pair will set off on June 14 and intend to do about 20 miles a day.

They hope to complete their journey in six days.