A STOCKTON Heath woman will take to the roads on a very unusual trek.

Catherine Birchall will use two-wheels to make her trip across the globe - and she aims to raise £250,000 in the process.

Catherine, who is totally blind, is leaving her guide dog, Biscuit, at home in Warrington to undertake the epic journey, scheduled to start in the spring of 2008.

And if she successfully completes the trip, she will become the first blind woman in history to travel around the world on a motornike.

She said: "It's an incredible challenge but a very worthwhile one.

"There are two million people with sight problems in Britain. Simple facilities such as software to enable reading and writing can make such a difference to our lives.

"All of that costs money and, unfortunately, there isn't always enough to go around."

Catherine will be piloted on the trip by Bernard Smith, an employee of the Royal National Institute of the Blind, who is planning to sell his home in order to finance the expedition.

En route, they will be dropping in on a number of projects to help visually impaired people in some of the countries they will be crossing.

Recent figures from the World Health Organisation suggest that there are 161 million people with sight problems across the globe. Of those, some 50 million are blind.

Catherine added"Bernard and I have been on a few trips to Europe before but nothing on this scale. By taking on the trip, we will be doing more than merely raising money."

"We want to raise awareness and people's hopes that even if they lose their sight, it shouldn't necessarily mean placing boundaries around their expectations or ambition."