STOOD thousands of metres above sea level with exhaustion setting in, charity trekker Laura Burgess thought she might not complete her challenge.

But after a week of hiking on Peru’s Inca Trail, Laura posed with fund-raising friends Vicki Wright and Alice Goose in front of Machu Pichu.

The trio braved the emotional trek in tribute to Laura’s mum, who lost her battle with leukaemia last year. Their marathon effort has raised almost �15,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Laura, who kept a journal throughout the trip, said: “This experience is dedicated to my amazing mum, who is the reason I decided to do this. I hope I did her proud.

“I feel now that I have suffered a small battle, which has given me a little insight into how difficult it must be to have to fight physical pain, as she did.”

Laura, Vicki and Alice, who are all youth workers in Fenland, climbed to more than 3,000m above sea level during the hike.

Laura’s journal describes how they conquered thousands of steep mountain steps, struggled with altitude sickness and ate delicacies such as alpaca stroganoff.

The trio said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to everybody who has supported us in fund-raising, donating and training. This includes friends, individual supporters, family members, colleagues, businesses and schools.

“We would have not have been able to raise so much money for Macmillan Cancer Support without everyone’s dedication and help.”