CHARITY shop assistant manager Calum Rigby swapped winter in Darwen for humid treks through the Vietnam jungle.

Calum, 29, of Prospect Avenue, heard about the trek while working in the Scope charity shop in Preston and decided to give it a go.

He raised £2,600 for the charity, which assists sufferers of cerebral palsy, before he went through sponsorship and donations from friends, family and local organisations.

Now he hopes to do more charity fundraisers in the future with the possibility of a trip to Nepal in 2005.

The Vietnam trip involved six days of trekking through the central highlands and the jungle, with six or seven hours of walking a day, and sleeping in tents and a log house.

He said: "This was the first charity thing I've done but it certainly won't be the last. There were a lot of hills to walk up but, living in Darwen, I'm used to that.

"I trained for six months by walking with a rucksack on my back, so I was fine.

"Riding an elephant, which I managed to do three times, was my favourite memory but I loved all of it much more than I expected to.

"It was hard work because of the heat and humidity. We were getting through two water bottles by lunchtime and having to refill them twice before the end of each walk. The worst part was probably when I accidentally squashed two bananas in my rucksack and about 150 ants got inside to find them.

"I would encourage more people to get involved because it is for a good cause and I really enjoyed it. I will keep doing them as long as I can."

The trekking group, who were aged between 23 and 75, were treated to traditional Vietnamese food and dancing and met local schoolchildren as they walked through the villages.

Calum, a member of Blackburn Rotaract Club, started as a volunteer at Blackburn's Scope shop before getting a full-time job there.

Anyone who would like to get involved in any of the charity events for Scope should ring 0800 019 1200.