SEARING heat, tears and traumas were not enough to deter a globetrotting grandmother from Bromsgrove as she cycled through Kenya and Tanzania for charity.

Hopwood grandmother Janet Adams, 54, joined a group of 24 people in an open cycle challenge, raising money for Acorns.

She braved temperatures of up to 39 degrees riding across the Masai Mara wildlife reserve in Kenya and on into Tanzania during a gruelling, five-day journey.

Mrs Adams said: “There were tears and traumas. At one stage I fell off my bike, and the heat was unbearable. By midday the temperature had risen to 39 degrees.

“Cycling across the Masai Mara also had its problems as there had been no rain.

“This had turned the dust tracks into sand, so it was like trying to cycle along the beach, but the fact I was raising money for Acorns kept me focused.

“Whilst this was a very difficult challenge, I saw some amazing sights and cycling really is the best way to see Tanzania.

“I got to spend the night in a Masai village and sleep in a mud hut on a straw bed.

“I woke up to see the sunrise over Mount Kilimanjaro and cycled alongside zebra in the Masai, and so much more.”

Janet raised £1,470 from donations from family and sponsors, including £250 from air conditioning and refrigeration firm, 24-Seven Cooling.

Mrs Adams has now raised more than £7,000 for Acorns Children’s Hospice since 2011 through similar bikes rides, including Vietnam to Cambodia and London to Paris.

She added: “I have not done anything since then but I just thought I needed to get back on the bike and the only way to do it was to commit myself to another challenge."