THREE friends are limbering up for a gruelling once-in-a-lifetime experience to raise cash for good causes.

Kerry Whitelegg, from Southend, will join best friend Dan Bacon, from Hockley, and her dad Peter, who lives in Stockport to jet out to Borneo for eight days of extreme challenges.

After a day and a half jungle training, the group with be taken into the jungle by helicopter and pitted against ten other teams to trek, mountain bike, run, kayak and white water raft over 30k, followed by a 2am climb to the summit of Mount Kinabalu - the highest mountain in South East Asia.

Kerry, 26, Dan, also 26, and Peter, 46, will endure 40 degree heat and 90 per cent humidity during the adventure.

Sponsorship raised will be split between Havens Hospices and Faye’s Wish - a cancer research charity set up in memory of Kerry’s cousin.

She said: “It is the first time I have ever done anything like this, I have done a couple of five and ten kilometre runs before but nothing like this.

“There are about 60 people taking part in total and every day we take part in individual events and we get points then the last day we find out whose won.”

They are setting off at the beginning of March and have already raised nearly £3,000 by putting on events including a curry night and have organised a Tapas night for February 21 at Marco’s bar in Rayleigh.

Kerry added: “we have been doing lots of walking and taking the stairs. I’ve been climbing the stairs by the cliffs but it has been a bit cold. We are trying to train for heat and humidity in England.

“I didn’t realise how competitive my dad was until he started training for this. He end up carrying him but I think it may be the other way round!”

For more information, or to sponsor the group, go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Kinabalu2013.