Every day Marie Seaton deals with the deprivation of Swindon in her role as director of social services.

Now, the council officer is set to see poverty and hardship on a totally different scale.

The 46-year-old director is set to leave for Kathmandu in Nepal this evening for a ten day trek across the Himalayas.

She said: "In my role as social services director I see a lot of deprivation and poverty.

"But I think Kathmandu will be a totally different world for me and will put a lot of things in perspective.

"The average monthly wage is only £2.50 and the average life expectancy is 54 for women and 53 for men.

"I think it will be quite shocking and this is one of the reasons I wanted to go.

"From what I understand it is meant to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world and the trip will be a bit of an eye-opener all round."

She is going on the trip to raise money for the Voluntary Services Organisation, which is working to help poverty-stricken people in the area.

Her trek into the Himalayas will see her walking through the Helambu Valley.

She will be climbing up to some of the highest mountains in the world.

Marie will be accompanied by 30 other fundraisers from across Britain.

She said: "I'm not especially looking forward to sharing my tent with complete strangers.

"But this will be a huge adventure and I don't know really what to expect.

"It will be quite gruelling and I hope I'm up to it.

"I've never done anything like this in my life before."

To be able to go on the sponsored trek Marie had to raise at least £2,400.

But with the help of friends, family and work colleagues the council officer managed to raise £3,355 for the VSO.

She said: "Imagine what that amount of money will do to help the lives of people in Nepal.

"In Britain it would hardly make an impact on helping a family, but in Nepal it would make a huge difference.

"I am determined to succeed in doing this trek. I am a bit worried about altitude sickness and other things that you can't do anything about, but I know I will drag myself over the finish if I have to.

"I have been doing a lot of training this year for the trek, like running up hills, and now I am fitter than I have been since I was at school."