A MANAGING director and businesswoman are swapping their desk jobs to embark on a Tibetan trek for charity.

Richard Palfreeman, managing director of Northfields Estates, Northfields Avenue, West Ealing, and Ingrid von Bratt want to raise £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), and have organised a fundraising masked ball.

Ms von Bratt lost her father and close friend to heart attacks within six months of each other which is why she chose the British Heart Foundation as her charity.

She said: "This charity is very personal to me because my father died from a heart attack just months after going on my first fundraising trip for BHF. I have been fundraising for them for three years now."

Participants on the Tibet Trek need to raise a minimum of £3,500 for the BHF of which £1,750 will cover the associated travel and accommodation costs.

Richard and Ingrid decided to have one big event and try to raise at least £10,000 for the BHF with approximately 55 per cent of the minimum sponsorship and 100 per cent of anything raised in excess of that going towards the BHF's work The ball takes place on Saturday, March 19 from 7.30pm at Fulham Town Hall and the ticket price includes champagne, canaps, a three course meal as well as a raffle and live music.

Individual tickets are £75 or a table of ten costs £750. To book a table or a ticket visit www.supportbhf.co.uk or contact Ingrid directly on ingrid@ supportbhf.co.uk or 020 8580 3973