KIND-HEARTED Stourbridge gym members are set to take on a mountainous challenge to help brave mum Deb Drew who nearly drowned trying to save a little boy in heavy surf in north Devon.

Members of the gym at Stourbridge Lawn Tennis and Squash Club are taking part in the 3 Peaks Challenge to raise funds for Deb who had been bodyboarding at Woolacombe while holidaying with her two sons in August 2014 when she selflessly tried to save a nine-year-old boy who had got into difficulties in the rough sea.

But the act of bravery left her battling to survive and changed her life forever.

Deb, and the young boy, were unconscious when pulled from the water and although the gutsy pharmaceutical rep went on to win her fight for life - she suffered devastating brain damage which has left her wheelchair bound and in need of constant care.

The little boy reportedly survived the ordeal to make a near full recovery according to the RNLI in north Devon - but despite desperate appeals for information Deb's family have been unsuccessful in tracing the youngster or his family to confirm his fate.

Deb, former vice-chair at Stourbridge Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, was finally able to return to her Oldswinford home last August after four years in rehabilitation.

But she faces a long battle ahead of constant physiotherapy, occupational therapy and neurological treatment and she is reliant on smart technologies to provide her with a degree of independence.

Over the last few years various groups of friends have taken on gruelling charity challenges to help raise funds for Deb to help with her recovery and the money raised has helped to pay for adaptations to the family home and mobility equipment including a specially-designed wheelchair which has enabled Deb to go out and about in Stourbridge.

This time gym members from the tennis club, in Sugar Loaf Lane, Iverley, will next month be embarking on the 3 Peaks Challenge which will see them scale the peaks of Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Mount Snowdon in Wales in just 24 hours.

The group, comprising 24 walkers and three drivers, have already started training and they hope to raise more than £10,000. The expedition, which will take place on July 27 and 28, will be self-funded by the participants to ensure Deb receives 100 per cent of the money raised.

Team member Sarah Davis, a close friend of Deb's, said: "We've all been training hard since last September and we are determined to complete the challenge in 24 hours to raise as much money as possible for Deb. Her determination and positive attitude towards her situation has inspired us all."

The money raised will be put towards ensuring popular mum-of-two Deb receives regular physiotherapy sessions, which are not available on the NHS, and to help buy her a new state-of-the-art bed and motability vehicle.

The team has already raised around £5,000 but anyone wishing to give their fundraising a boost to help Deb can donate online at https://uk.gofundme.com (search Deb Drew Fund 3 Peaks Challenge).