Six intrepid adventurers will take on one of the world’s most inhospitable deserts for a Hampshire hospital’s charity.

The team will head to the Sahara Desert next month to take part in a gruelling trek to raise money for the Southampton Hospital Charity.

All six have their own personal reasons for taking on the challenge, which will see them undertake a four-day-long trek across the North African desert.

Through their combined efforts, the team hope to raise more than £14,000 for the charity, which supports Southampton General Hospital and the Princess Anne Hospital.

They will fly to Morocco before setting out on the trek. Led by a team of local Berbers, they will cross the sand dunes of the desert for four days.

They will then return to the city of Marrakesh to help a local project, the Daralbir Association, which is a charitable home for elderly hospital patients with no family support.

Twenty-six-year-old Dan Ridout, a ward clerk at Southampton General, is taking part after a team at the hospital saved his life three years ago when his heart suddenly stopped.

Dan, from Hedge End, said: “I was only 23, so this came as a huge shock to me. I’d been having blackouts all my life and had never known the cause until I was rushed to Southampton General.

“I want to give back as much as I can to the people there that saved my life and got me back to where I am today.

“Since my heart attack, I have volunteered at Southampton Hospital Charity as a way of giving something back, and this year I have successfully been recruited as a ward clerk to the hospital so I can continue to work for the place that gave me my life back.”

And Hampshire dad Jonathan Tate is taking part after a team at the hospital identified the mystery condition that had left his young son Jacob seriously ill.

Although his condition had baffled doctors, staff at Southampton General identified it as the rare immune system defect called Chronic Granulomatous Disease, and he is now making a recovery.

Jonathan, 38, from Basingstoke, said: “My family has been lucky to benefit from the skill, knowledge and fortitude of the staff at Southampton General Hospital. I am in no doubt that they saved my son's life.”

There is still a place available on the trek team. If you are interested phone 02381 204713 or email alanna.lee@uhs.nhs.uk To donate you can text TREK07 £5 to 70070 or go to justgiving. com/AlannaSaharaTrek2014 ving. com/AlannaSaharaTrek2014