HEDGE End teenager Vicki Marsh is hoping to stand on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro this summer after being chosen to join just a handful of local air cadets for an expedition to the African mountain.

The 17-year-old, from Thistle Road, needs to raise £750 to keep her place on the trip of a lifetime. Vicki, who is studying maths, further maths, physics and physical education at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, will climb to Kilimanjaro's summit, take part on a safari and help with a community project - as long as she can raise a total of £1,500 to cover her costs.

The air cadet has been training hard for the expedition, which will take place in July.

She said: "I'm hoping to get a lot of personal development out of it. I've been put with a lot of people I've never met and I hope it will give me an insight into how other people live."

Anyone interested in sponsoring Vicki can contact her on 07890 213061.