Charity walkers brave heat to raise thousands

George Thorpe
BBC News
Max Young Two men in matching red T-shirts with logos on and a lanyard round their necks are taking part in the Around the Island Walk challenge. One is walking along a pavement and the other is next to him walking along the road. The man on the right has one arm in the air with his thumb pointing up. There are other race participants behind them.  Max Young
Hundreds of people took part in the Around the Island Walk challenge on Saturday

Walkers have been praised for braving the hot weather to raise about £100,000 for charity.

The 34th Around the Island Walk was held in Jersey on Saturday with hundreds of people taking on one of four challenges, featuring routes of up to 48 miles (77.2km).

Participants experienced hot conditions on the day, with Jersey Met saying temperatures hit 32.4C (90.3F).

Rob Syvret, the event's chairman, said the walk went "exceedingly well" and he was very proud of everyone involved, especially the people who braved the weather to do the challenge.

Organisers said 70% of the 1,002 people who registered to do the main 48-mile walk completed the course.

They added 49 teams - including Jersey firefighters who wore their full kit - entered the relay event, while 326 people took part in the 13-mile (20.9km) Lieutenant Governors challenge, and 42 others registered for the accessible One TMF course along a flat and paved section.

Walkers from across Jersey and Europe set off from 03:00 BST, with the final finisher coming in just after midnight on Sunday.

The first walker to complete the main route was Matt Johnson, who crossed the line eight hours and 48 minutes after setting off.

Jersey Fire Service Five Jersey Fire Service crew members in full kit, and another crew member not in full uniform, hold a flag with the service's yellow red and blue badge on it before starting the Around the Island Walk.Jersey Fire Service
Firefighters who wore their full kit were among the people who took part in this year's Around the Island Walk

Mr Syvret said precautions were taken on the day with water supplies at every check point.

He added volunteers, including St John Ambulance crews, monitored walkers to ensure they were safe and stepped in to withdraw people if they looked unwell.

"The people who started were taking on a very big challenge this year because they knew it was going to get very hot during the day," Mr Syvret said.

"But it was an amazing event again this year and we couldn't do it without all the help within the community and our volunteers."

Money raised from the event will be split between a number of charities, including Autism Jersey, The Salvation Army and Family First Jersey.

Next year's walk is due to take place on 20 June with registration opening in January.

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