A DESERT adventurer raised more than £2,000 for charity on a five-day trek to raise cash.

Swanley and Greenhithe mayor Councillor Conrad Broadley swapped his robes of office for an Arab head scarf as he headed off to Egypt.

The trek took him up Mount Sinai, across 77 kilometres of desert, with Bedouin guides, and camels carrying essential water supplies.

Cllr Broadley was raising the cash for the Dartford-based Simon Paul and Ellenor foundations.

A typical day involved getting up at 6.30am, and trekking for 10 hours, before spending the evening around the campfire, drinking sweet tea, brewed by the Bedouins.

Cllr Broadley said: The hardest bit of the trek was the first morning. We had to get up at 2am to trek up Mount Sinai to see the sunrise.

It wasnt just our group, there were 30 people, some of them on a pilgrimage. It was a moving experience.

The Simon Paul Foundation helps people cope with the onset of a sudden and permanent disablement, providing a comprehensive support service to young, disabled people, and their families.

The money raised will help fund an independent living training programme at the foundation next year.