A DEVOTED father will follow in the footsteps of his daughter by taking on a 200-mile trek in the Himalayas which she completed the year before her sudden death.
John Holmes' daughter, Philippa, died in June 2009, aged 24, from a condition related to her heart.
He will be attempting the mammoth trek for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which raises money for research into the sort of condition which killed his daughter.
His 21-day hike will also support the Steve Sinnott Foundation, set up in memory of the former general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, who died in similar circumstances to Philippa. It helps with education projects in Nepal and other impoverished areas.
Mr Holmes, 63, of Duffield, said he remembered when his daughter returned from the same trek in 2008. He said: "She came back and said 'you could do that. I'll come with you and do it a bit slower'.
"She'll be doing it with us this time but sadly not in person."
Mr Holmes will be taking part in the expedition with his two brothers-in-law, Howard Beedle, 69, of Horsley Woodhouse, and Paul Deasy, 62, of Lincolnshire, friend Stuart Rees, 62, and his friend, Pauline Smith, both of Castleton, North Yorkshire.
They even have the same guide as Philippa had.
Other members of the group will be doing the trek for different charities, including the British Heart Foundation.
Philippa, a former Ecclesbourne School pupil, had graduated with first-class honours from Cambridge, completed a masters degree, travelled the world and was due to begin a PhD when she died.
Mr Holmes said: "She died of a heart condition that was undiagnosed. No one knew about it. We found her collapsed at home. We were able to revive her partially but we were not able to save her life because there was too much brain damage.
"We found out that at least 12 young people a week die in these circumstances and we obviously had no idea of this before what happened to Philippa.
"CRY provide a lot of money for research into the issue."
The hike will be through the Annapurna Himal region of Nepal, rising to 5,400 metres at its highest point, Thorung La. Mr Holmes said: "It was my ambition to tread in Philippa's footsteps, originally with her at my side, but now I have four stalwart friends to accompany me."
The retired teacher's training has involved doing Britain's Coast to Coast walk with his wife, Madeleine.
During their visit to Nepal, the group hope to visit the Steve Sinnott Foundation's project at Pipal Danda, where it is creating a new school building and providing midday meals to pupils.
Mr Holmes is aiming to raise £5,000 and has £1,500 so far. To sponsor him, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ and search for John Holmes.
