A WOMAN who took part in a life-changing trek across the Sahara for charity is hoping to inspire others to take on their own adventure.

Beth Slattery, 27, embarked on a 10-day trek in Morocco from M’Hamid El Ghizlane to Marrakech in 2012 to raise money for Bournemouth Hospital Charity’s new Jigsaw Building.

During the trip, Beth met fellow fundraiser Ryan, 31, and by the time the pair arrived back in Bournemouth, they had become inseparable.

Beth said: “After ten days together in the desert camping under the stars, we fell in love.”

Beth and Ryan later went onto marry and in 2016, they welcomed their first child together, Aimee.

In January, they went on to have a second child, a little boy named Zac.

Beth said: “My mum’s a nurse in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s Derwent Building and Ryan’s mum is a health care assistant.

”They’ve both been here 20 years so this hospital is a big part of their lives.”

After helping to raise thousands of pounds for the Jigsaw Building, Beth is now urging anyone thinking about taking on a challenge this year to consider doing it for their hospital.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Beth says.

“It was a life-changing experience just actually doing the trek. I got a lot of time to reflect and think about what’s important in life, camping out under the stars and meeting new people. It’s a chance to experience something completely different.”

Bournemouth Hospital Charity has a number of challenges for the public to take on in 2018.

To find out more, visit BHCharity.org/challenges or call 01202 704060.