Worcester Evening News journalist Alison Fraser is off to Borneo next month - after a planned charity trip to China had to be cancelled.

The education correspondent had hoped to join a group of 40 people taking part in The Three Gorges Trek along China's Yangtze River to raise money for the Acorns Children's Hospice's Three Counties Appeal.

The trip would have taken the group through Beijing, but following the outbreak of the SARS virus, organisers have decided to follow Foreign Office advice to avoid the area and have switched the destination.

The decision means that Alison and the rest of the group will miss out on a last chance opportunity to pass through the spectacular Three Gorges dam as it will be submerged to create the world's largest man-made lake in June.

Alison, (pictured right), said: "It is disappointing not to be able to go and view the gorges before they are flooded, but when you consider that you could be putting other people's lives at risk by travelling from Beijing to the Yangtze and back again, it's a small sacrifice to make.

"I have my Lonely Planet book now so I hope to visit Beijing in the future."

Alison isn't missing out on the trip completely, and the group will now travel to Borneo, to Kota Kinabalu National Park in Sabah.

The trip will take place between May 25 and June 3.

She said: "Our trek isn't so much about distance any more but more about coping with the virgin jungle and intense humidity.

"I'm really looking forward to going, especially as there is a plethora of bird, plant and animal life.

"We will also go to an orangutan sanctuary, a waterfall and tea plantation. I'm already sorting out my I'm a celebrity t-shirt and preparing for bugs of all kinds.

"I'm not a big fan of creepy crawlies myself but I think I'll cope better than my mum who is joining me."