A win on the Wiltshire horses (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

A win on the Wiltshire horses

2:00pm Sunday 10th July 2011 in News By Lewis Cowen

Nearly 100 people gave up their weekends to take part in the White Horse Challenge.

The 55-mile route took walkers to seven of the eight chalk horses, starting at Devizes on Saturday morning.

The Gazette backed the challenge and sent Gilbert the Gator to see 60 walkers away from police headquarters in London Road.

There was a choice of four challenges: the 55 miles over two days, the relay challenge, the one-day challenge and the seven-mile family walk on Sunday.

Richard Edwards from the organisers, accountants, Monahans, said: “Most walkers did the whole thing. The weather was glorious, but a bit too warm and humid on Sunday – OK for sitting in the garden but not so good for strenuous exercise.”

The event raises cash for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, which needs £500,000 from the community to cover its annual running costs. Last year it made a record £15,500, bringing the total donated to date to £60,000.

Mr Edwards said: “We have no idea how much we will have raised. We don’t think it will be as much as last year but our average has been £10,000 and we are fairly confident we will get that.”

Numbers were down on last year when 170 entered, nearly 100 in the 55-mile challenge, which resulted in the record sum raised. Each walker pays £35 entrance fee.

The first challenge took the walkers from the air support unit at Devizes to Pewsey via Alton Barnes then up to Marlborough.

On Sunday they went via Hackpen and Broad Town, heading south to Cherhill and Devizes white horses and finishing back at the Air Support Unit at police HQ.