Sponsored by
Wellingborough pub regulars walk tall with £6,000 for appeal
Pub regulars have raised the bar for fundraising by collecting a massive £6,000 on a charity hike.
The group of five swapped the cosy bar of Wellingborough's Ranelagh Arms for the windy but majestic surroundings of the Cumbria fells on a hike along Hadrian's Wall in aid of the Crazy Hats breast cancer appeal.
And they proudly presented the money to Crazy Hats fundraisers at the pub in Ranelagh Road.
Landlord Chris O'Reilly was joined by friends and customers Gary Goode, Alan Hichens, Derry Brudenell and Kevin Crawley on the 84-mile walk along the length of the Roman wall.
The group was overjoyed with the huge amount raised through sponsorship and other fundraisers.
Mr O'Reilly said: "It was awesome. When we presented the cheque to Crazy Hats, everyone in the pub knew how much we had raised except them, so it was great seeing their faces when they found out."
He thanked everybody who had supported the hike by donating, including brewery Charles Wells which gave 525, and other local pubs the Gloucester and the Fiddler's Elbow which also gave cash.
There were also donations from the local bar billiards association and bar security firm Shadow Security.
Mr O'Reilly said all the team enjoyed the expedition even though it was not easy.
He said: "It was fantastic but ever so hard, the hardest thing I've ever done.
"If we hadn't trained we wouldn't have been able to complete it. We were doing about 18 miles a day.
"Alan had bad blisters but he just had to carry on going."
The team had plenty of support along the way - raising 138 in donations from people at the guesthouses and farmhouses they stayed at.
When they got back to Wellingborough the group was welcomed home with a disco where all their supporters had gathered to hear the tales from the trip.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
