A RETIRED NHS worker is preparing to strap on her trusty 20-year-old walking boots for a solo mountain climb in aid of a Blackbird Leys Church.

Jacqui Halliday, 58, of Bryony Close in Greater Leys, has been an active member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church for more than two decades.

In August the grandmother will take on an unaided 2,500ft hike up Croagh Patrick, an important pilgrimage site in Ireland's County Mayo.

She said: "You have to challenge yourself, and I'm looking forward to it. I've got my good boots; they're well-worn, and they're brilliant."

Mrs Halliday, a former technician and plasterer at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, has attended Sunday mass and events at Sacred Heart for 23 years.

The church in Sawpit Road is currently trying to raise in the region of £30,000 to replace a glass wall erected in the 1950s with a proper concrete wall and windows.

Mrs Halliday said: "The church is fabulous. We have all nationalities, East Timorese and African and Filipino, and had an intercultural mass recently.

"When I first went to the church it didn't have any heating; we used to have gas fires and keep our coats on the whole time.

"It's lovely but in the winter it gets a bit cold so they're planning to do something a bit more substantial."

In the past Mrs Halliday, who has also served in the Women's Royal Army Corps, has climbed both Mt Fiji and Mt Kilimanjaro for charity and 'enjoyed every minute'.

She said: "It's very gravelly and lots of hard work. I've been walking two to three hours a day, up through Garsington and through Greater Leys and Blackbird Leys.

"We've raised about £200 so far and only started on Sunday. Our parishioners are very good but the more the merrier; any money we raise will certainly help."

Since Sacred Heart launched its window project fund about £2,000 has been gathered through fundraising events and second collections on Sundays.

Vicar Fr Nazarius Mgungwe said: "On one side of the church the whole wall is glass. During the winter it's very cold so we want to raise a wall and put some windows in.

"Jacqui is doing this all by herself and it's a tough mountain; people have started giving pledges for sponsorship.

"I'd like to encourage people who are sympathetic to support this project. After all, this is a meeting place for the wider community, and we are trying to reach out."

Anyone able to donate can complete a pledge form by visiting the church.