Sharon Feeny, pictured, hopes her walk along the Great Wall of China will act as an inspiration to others.

And she particularly wants it to encourage people in the Bradford district to take up the challenge of the Telegraph & Argus £1 million Bradford Can... appeal.

Sharon, who beat cancer when she was 11, has completed a 120-mile trek along the wall in aid of the Cancer Research unit at Birmingham University.

The research units at Bradford and Birmingham universities are the only two with community-based fundraising appeals.

The Bradford Can... appeal aims to raise £1m to fund research at Bradford University and clinical trials at Bradford Royal Infirmary. It will trigger a further £5 million investment by the Cancer Research Campaign.

"It was an unforgettable and inspirational trip for all sorts of reasons," said Sharon, of Hebden Road, Haworth.

"If people in Bradford can arrange something similar, they won't regret it. But it won't be a push-over."

The 79 people who took part raised £250,000 - £50,000 more than they expected. Sharon alone raised £5,500 of which £2,500 was donated by her bosses at Abbey National in Bradford.

But they had to put up with plenty of hardships.

"I've never lived in such difficult conditions, but I'd do it all over again," said Sharon, a 29-year-old communication consultant.

The ten-day trip saw her sleeping in freezing conditions on concrete with just a sheet to keep out the chill, having a showers under a single tap in cold water and using socks as gloves as well as walking 20 miles a day.

But driving her on was her desire to raise the cash for the charity which had helped her when she had a malignant growth removed from her arm aged 11.

"When my dad saw me after I got back he said he had never seen me as worn-out," she said.

"It was very tough. We had no toilets or hot water. Two of the places we slept were on concrete slabs and we had no sleeping bags.

"We were brought a sheet each and a piece of cardboard to soften the floor.

"It was bitterly cold and we had to eat out. We ate barbecued food with chopsticks and socks on our hands.

"A lot of us got colds because it was warm during the day and freezing at night.

"But it was worth every minute. I'm still mentally buzzing."

She is now looking forward to the reunion next month in Birmingham when the cheque will be officially handed over.

And then she will be planning to join the next Cancer Research challenge - to walk in the Sahara desert in 2003.