A MOTHER and daughter are to honour the memory of their relative by trekking across the frozen wastes of Iceland.

Carol Hodgson, 55, and her 29-year-old daughter, Gemma Hodgson, are to hike just over 40 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

The pair from Millfield Lane, off Hull Road, York, are taking on the challenge in memory of their brother and uncle Richard Cartwright, who died in April of a heart attack, aged 57.

Gemma said: “We just wanted to do something positive out of such a tragic thing as losing a relative who was still a relatively young man and we’re also hoping to meet other people on the trek affected in a similar way. It’s a chance to see a beautiful country like Iceland. I’ve had friends who have gone who have said how amazing it is.”

The four-day trek next July promises to be the experience of a lifetime for the pair. They will fly out to Iceland and be transferred to the starting point, Landmannahellir, which is located close to Mount Hekla volcano. The area is made up of lava fields, and the last eruption was in 2000.

From then on, their trek will see them pass lakes, lava fields, meadows, rocky peaks and gorges.

Highlights of the trip will include swimming in springs heated by geothermal energy, river crossings and never experiencing full darkness due to the fact that in July Iceland has daylight 20 hours a day.

Other sights will include walking to Emstrur across a desolate black volcanic plain devoid of any vegetation before encountering a raging glacial river and the deep canyon of the Markarfljot river. The final day of the trip will see them experiencing a different Iceland, with a green and wooded landscape.

But first, the mother and daughter need to raise £2,600 each.

To sponsor them simply visit justgiving.com/gemmahodgson2