MORE than 30 walkers are planning to celebrate the life of a 30-year-old York woman who died last month by climbing Scotland, England and Wales’ highest mountains this weekend.

Their UK Three Peaks challenge will raise more than £30,000 for St Leonard’s Hospice, where Natalie Goulden, of Heworth, died of cancer.

Her husband Stuart said everybody who had met Natalie was "touched by her lust for life and generous spirit".

He said: “Despite being dealt the toughest of hands she smiled through it all, seeing cancer not as the end but as an opportunity to help others.

“She lives on with us in so many ways and beyond the intense heartbreak we know to be grateful for the deeper kind of love and friendship she opened us up to.”

He praised the "wonderful care" she received from the hospice, which had meant so much to her and her family.

“They do incredible, invisible work every minute of every day and Natalie took so much pride from all the fundraising to pay for the care she received.

“It’s now up to her friends and family to dig deep and do their best on the day. It won’t be easy but Natalie will continue to motivate us every step of the way.”

Natalie, an architect, who was brought up in Tadcaster, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2013 when she was just 25 years old.

It was treated with surgery and she was given the all clear and life continued as normal until her mobility deteriorated last year and she was told that the cancer had returned and spread.

Shortly after, she was referred to the York hospice, where she stayed on the In-patient Unit for two weeks for some respite care to get her back on her feet, before being readmitted in May this year.

Stuart, along with a group of Natalie’s closest friends and family, dubbed ‘Team Nat’, originally planned to raise £5,000 but had reached £30,677 by yesterday afternoon after receiving "fantastic support".

The challenge involves walking the three mountains within 24 hours, the first being Ben Nevis, which at 4,409ft is the tallest of the three. From there the expedition will drive south into the Lake District where they will climb Scafell Pike, which is 3,209ft. The final of the three is Snowdon, standing at 3,560ft.

To support Team Nat, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-harris9.