The mane event in Wiltshire (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

The mane event in Wiltshire

3:00pm Sunday 12th February 2012 in Local By Jill Crooks

Discover some of the county’s white horses and raise money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance at the same time.

Participants can walk anything from seven to 55 miles in the White Horse Challenge and the walk suits all ages and levels of fitness.

The event, in its seventh year, is on the weekend of July 7 and 8. It is sponsored by the Gazette & Herald and sister paper the Wiltshire Times and organised by chartered accountants Monahans and Rygor Commercials.

In the past six years it has raised more than £70,000 for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance charity.

The routes take in some of the county’s white horses, including those at Devizes, Pewsey, Alton Barnes and Cherhill.

The walk can be done by individuals or teams of people or families. The seven-mile route on the Sunday is perfect for families while for serious walkers the entire 55- mile route can be tackled over both days.

Zoe Meaden of Monahans said: “We are excited about this year’s event. Even in difficult economic times, last year people were still enthusiastic about fund-raising for the event and the public was as generous as ever.

“We are keen to talk to anyone who is interested in the challenge so we can match a route to their expectations and ability.”

The air ambulance charity needs to raise £700,000 a year. The air ambulance is based at police headquarters in Devizes and can reach anywhere in the county within 12 minutes, including places which are inaccessible to land ambulances.

Almost half of the incidents it attends are road accidents. Other incidents it gets called to are horse riding accidents, sports injuries, industrial and farm accidents, fires and medical emergencies.

Caroline Corrigan, head of fundraising for Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “Each year the Air Support Unit continues to be surprised at the support that the White Horse Challenge has and we sincerely hope that 2012 is as successful as previous years.

“To put into perspective what these funds mean to the charity, it costs £2,000 per day to keep Wiltshire’s Air Ambulance flying, saving lives. The funds raised so far have kept the helicopter flying for 35 days since the first event in 2006. Support on this scale is so very much appreciated and we wish the organisers all the very best.”

For more, see www.white horsechallenge.co.uk