A CANADIAN fundraiser who is walking 155km across five continents will visit Basingstoke as part of her charity challenge.

Angela Kirby, from Ontario, will walk 5km through the town today before continuing to other parts of the UK and Ireland then heading off to Paris mid-August.

Her walk, called Walking a World of Friendship for MS, will take her to 13 countries and 31 locations including Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.

The 70-year-old is raising money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and suffers from the condition herself.

She was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, in 1996.

As well as raising funds with the hope of finding a cure for MS, Angela also organised the trip to celebrate her 70th birthday.

Angela is originally from the north west of England and emigrated to Canada 40 years ago.

She has chosen to visit places around the world where she either has friends or family, and they will join her at the various locations helping her complete the gruelling schedule of charity walks.

She said: "I wanted to do something special to celebrate my 70th birthday and acknowledge the 20th anniversary of my first MS exacerbation. Knowing that we are all waiting for that elusive cure, I felt that while I am still able, I should make a concerted effort to raise more money wherever I could, in whatever country I could, to fund MS research. As an added bonus I get to see and walk with my family and friends around the world."

There are more than 2.5 million people living with MS worldwide, most of whom are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s.

The symptoms can be extremely severe.

But Angela considers herself lucky because, although she has been diagnosed for 20 years, her symptoms are currently limited to fatigue.

Even a bout of optic neuritis left no permanent loss of sight or scarring.

She added: "I feel so blessed and fortunate with my life that I really wanted to do something that could help others."

Angela has already completed several walks in Canada and the USA after beginning her challenge in May, and will finish in November.

She has set up a fundraising page for each country, so any money donated will go to MS research in that country.

Angela said: "Someone in our great big beautiful world has the key to a cure - they just don't know it yet!"

You can sponsor Angela online at www.justgiving.com/angela-kirby2.

Or follow her travels on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/WALK-A-WORLD-of-Friendship-for-MS-5-Km-AT-A-TIME/772601699454846.