Two managers are swapping their desks and laptops for hiking gear and tents in the Himalayas.

Mike Fox and Keith Pepper of petroleum additives company Infineum, have taken up the Himalayan Challenge 2 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief.

They will have to hike for up to ten hours a day in the shadow of the Anapurna mountain range. The route covers almost 100km of testing terrain, including rugged hill tracks which rise to more than 3,000m. They are training at The Park Club at Milton Park, which is handy for Infineum's research centre at Milton Hill, near Didcot.

Mr Fox said: "When all you are used to is walking from your desk to the coffee machine and perhaps the occasional visit to the gym, a seven-day trek across rough terrain and at high altitude is going to be really testing."

They are being sponsored by Infineum's good cause scheme Smile, but are now looking for backing from other local businesses.