WILTSHIRE Air Ambulance has received a cheque for £12,600 from the 2016 Wiltshire White Horse Challenge.

The event took place on July 9 and 10 and almost 100 people entered in 26 teams.

The White Horse Challenge is a sponsored walk where entrants can choose to walk between seven and 52 miles over the scenic white horses of Wiltshire including Devizes, Alton Barnes, Pewsey, Marlborough, Hackpen and Cherhill.

Zoe Meaden, business development manager at Monahans Chartered Accountants, and one of the event organisers, said: “We are very happy with the amount we have raised from the 2016 event. We were aiming for around £10,000 so we are extremely pleased to have beaten that and raised £12,600.”

“We think the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is such a worthy charity. It is self-funded so it is massively important that we do what we can to help them, and they are saving so many lives. They are so important for the people of Wiltshire."

Rebecca de la Bedoyere, senior fundraising manager for Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are delighted by the success of the 2016 White Horse Challenge and would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made it happen, from participants and volunteers to the organisers Monahans, Rygor and Rocking Horse Nursery. Having completed the full two day walk myself last year, I really appreciate what a demanding but also satisfying challenge it is. The fantastic amount raised is a testament to the hard work of the participants, and will help ensure we can be there for the people of Wiltshire when they need us most.”

Each year the event is organised by three businesses, Monahans Chartered Accountants in Trowbridge, RYGOR Group in Westbury and Rocking Horse Nursery in Melksham.

Last year was the 11th year that the event took place, and overall  £138,600 has been raised for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Organisers would like to thank Roy Messenger of The Italian Job Coffee, who volunteered his time and services to provide cooked breakfasts for everyone on the Sunday morning, and also Haydens Bakery, which donated cakes at several checkpoints along the routes.

There will be changes to the 2017 challenge, which will make it accessible for even more people on July 1 and 2. Registration opens soon at www.whitehorsechallenge.co.uk