TRADING the northern lights for Arabian nights isn't something you think of everyday.

But Lynn Avery, has proved she is a real dark horse when it comes to fund-raising ideas, as she gets set for a sweltering summer adventure.

The teaching assistant at Puss Bank School in Macclesfield is taking on the Pyramid challenge, a five-day horse-back trek across the Sahara desert.

The 57-year-old will follow in the legendary footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, who trekked across the desert in the classic film Arabian Nights.

But she takes on the quest for a cause closer to home than the Egyptian desert - Prestbury Riding for the Disabled.

She said: "The special needs children I work with at Puss Bank School have been able to take regular riding lessons for the last 15 years thanks to the PRDA.

"Now I have an opportunity to help them."

The challenge will see Lynn join ten others in riding Arab horses in a five day trek across the length of Egypt.

Starting at Cairo on March 30, the quest will take them along the Nile River, the desert and the great pyramids.

The intrepid adventurers will trot past the pyramid of King Snefru down the Cairo-Asyut Road, before arriving at the tomb of Mereruka, where they can see drawings and inscriptions dating back to 2390 BC.

And Lynn says she "can't wait" for the last day of the trip, where she will call at one of the seven wonders of the world, the great pyramid of Giza.

But she is still trying to raise the £2,000 funding she needs for the trip, having already collected £1,300 from fund-raising at car boot sales and sponsorship from local charities.

She said: "I just can't wait to get going, but I vitally need to raise the extra cash.

"So far local businesses have been very generous to us, but I need to keep on flagging up support."

Lynn is no stranger to horseback being a rider from the tender age of eight, and an instructor at Prestbury Riding School for the last two years.

But she admits that swapping a Cheshire horse in a field in Prestbury for an Arabian stallion in the wastelands of Egypt will be no easy feat.

She said: "I am excited but obviously nervous. Apart from the mammoth trek, Arabian horses have a completely different temperament, and are unusually small and wiry compared to British animals.

"Making friends with the horse will be the first step."

But she says that it will all be worth it to help raise cash for the children she teaches to ride.

She said: "It's wonderful to see the children's faces light up when they get on a horse for the first time, and the benefits they get from it.

"If I could do this trek for anyone in the world it would always be them."

Prestbury Riding for the Disabled work with special needs children from across Macclesfield, in their quest to teach them to ride.

The money Lynn raises will help the charity to take on more pupils from throughout the borough.

Anyone who can help her on her way can contact her on 01565 722723.