A DUCHY College worker from Yelverton has swapped her office for the wilds of Africa to boost funds for Alzheimer's Research UK and HeartSWell.

Becky Butland left home soil last week ahead of a dream six-day trek in Uganda. The 28-year-old training co-ordinator will be raising funds for the UK's leading dementia research charity in memory of her grandmother, Margaret Salter, who died with dementia in 2003, aged 78.

Becky's amazing adventure is taking her to Bwindi's Impenetrable Forest in Uganda's mountainous far south western tip, where she will have the chance to track mountain gorillas.

Her action-filled challenge started on Tuesday in Mgahinga National Park, from where she is trekking 3,645m up Mount Sabinyo, one of the region's inactive volcanoes.

Local tribesmen will then pilot dug-out canoes as Becky and her fellow trekkers traverse Lake Mutanda before heading on foot to the Impenetrable Forest, one of the richest ecosystems in Africa, in search of endangered primates.

Becky will also be raising money for HeartSWell, a charity supporting heart patients and their families in the Westcountry.

She said: 'I did a charity bike ride in Kenya a couple of years back and the company which organised it keeps me updated with other trips they are running.

'I'm always up for a challenge and I've always wanted to track gorillas, so this was perfect for me.

'I'll be raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK and HeartSWell — two charities very close to my heart.

'My gran passed away in 2003 after battling dementia for over a decade.

'My Granddad Bill, was amazing. He was a farmer and didn't do anything inside, but gave all that up to care for her and took over the running of the house.

'HeartSWell was a charity chosen by my dad who suffers form the heart conditions atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy.

'Supporting these two charities will really spur me on when the going gets tough.'

Becky hopes to raise £500 for each charity.

She said: 'I've been walking as much as I can — it's been difficult with all the bad weather recently, but I am confident I'll be ready when the trek begins.

'I'm really looking forward to seeing all the wildlife and getting to know the other 23 people I'll be trekking with.'

Jodie Vaughan, community fundraising manager at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'We rely on wonderful supporters like Becky to fund our crucial research and we wish her every success with her trek.

'Every £20 she raises for Alzheimer's Research UK is enough to pay for another hour of research, bringing us closer to finding ways to diagnose, prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

'There are hundreds of thousands of people across the UK living with dementia today, including over 12,000 people in Devon.

'Research is the only answer but funding lags far behind other serious diseases.'

To help Becky raise money for the charities, donate online at http://www.justgiving.com/rebecca-butland1">www.justgiving.com/rebecca-butland1