A FUNDRAISING curry night will be held in Otley this month to help a local Guide Dogs trainer’s daring Arctic challenge.

Pat Brown has trained five Guide Dogs puppies but recently decided to stop for the sake of her older dog, who cannot cope with them any more.

Determined to keep supporting the charity, she decided instead to undertake a sponsored 220 kilometre dog sledding expedition in Lapland.

Pat hopes the challenge, which will see her driving a team of huskies 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, will help raise the £5,000 she needs to get a Guide Dogs puppy sponsored and named as ‘Otley’ after her home town.

She flies out to Sweden on February 21, but before that will host a charity curry night at the Red Pepper restaurant, on New Market, on Tuesday, January 20.

She said: “After the curry night it will be only four weeks until I set off for the Arctic and I am getting really excited now.

“I have bought most of my kit, including a very warm down jacket, and my training is going well.

“When I don’t feel like going to the gym I remind myself that apparently the worst thing about sledding is when you get thrown off into soft snow, you just keep sinking and I need to be able to pull myself out.

“So how much weight should I put on that bar?”

For more details about the event call the restaurant on (01943) 461133 or look out for posters that are going up now around town.

Pat has been busy fundraising throughout 2014 and has already raised more than £2,500, but needs to double that so she can personalise updates about ‘Otley’ and give local people the chance to both meet and walk the dog.

More details about her challenge and preparations for it can be found at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PatBrown1, where donations can be made.