HUNDREDS of people took part in the annual Walk for Life over the weekend, covering the distance between Bath and Devizes to raise money for the Forever Friends Appeal at Bath RUH.

More than 300 walkers showed up on the sunny Saturday morning at Devizes Wharf to take part in the Bath RUH Forever Friends Appeal’s (FFA) annual event to raise money for the RUH Cancer Care Campaign.

Emily Lynch, 30, events and community officer for the FFA, said: “It was a lovely event, we had nearly 350 walkers take part which is more than last year. The weather was lovely, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. The atmosphere was just fantastic.

“The walk grows each year, we haven’t totalled up how much was raised because people will keep collecting donations for another month but last year we raised £30,000 and we hope to top that this year.”

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the walk which was started in 2006 by sisters Vanessa Kyte and Nicola Noble and was originally an 80-mile walk around the RUH catchment area. After Mrs Kyte’s death in 2007 Mrs Noble continued taking part in the walk ever year in her memory.

Miss Lynch said: “Nicola walked over 100 miles in the week so it was a very emotional ending to the walk for her and her family who were waiting for her at the finish line. Nicola isn’t just a community fundraiser but she is also a friend of the Forever Friends Appeal.”

The success of this year’s walk has already prompted the FFA to plan for next year’s walk, already naming their finish line.

“Last year we finished at Holbourne Museum and for 2017 we will be naming that as the finish line once again,” added Miss Lynch.