An Inverness woman has swapped the Highlands for the blazing African sun to help raise £60,000 in memory of her sister.
Joanne Sinclair, 27, faced scorching temperatures of up to 50 degrees as she embarked on a mammoth expedition across the Sahara desert in memory of her late sister Dawn.
During her short life, “princess” Dawn battled the effects of Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Scoliosis and Developmental Delay, and was prone to chest infections and asthma attacks, resulting in numerous hospital admissions.
On Christmas Day, she was struck down by illness and died just age 15 on Boxing Day.
During the four-day trek, Miss Sinclair was joined 14 fellow explorers including Scottish actor James Mackenzie to reach the peak of the famous Chigaga Dunes.
Her personal efforts raised £3,000 in aid of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) as a thank you for the support shown to Dawn and her family.
Following Dawn’s passing on Christmas day, the charity helped by providing a cooling blanket so she could be in the family home until her funeral.
Miss Sinclair said: “Words cannot express how much comfort we took from having our princess at home with us, rather than somewhere else on her own.
“This is why I decided to do the Sahara trek to enable CHAS to continue to provide invaluable support to children with life limiting and life shortening conditions, and their families.”
