Ramblers raising cash for Torbay Hospital League of Friends

A group of local ramblers have decided to let their feet do the walking in aid of Torbay Hospital League of Friends (LoF) which is raising money for a planned new emergency department on the site.

The LoF is campaigning to raise £1.5 million for equipment for the new daepartment which is to be built at a cost of £13 million.

The group will follow the coastal path from Torquay harbourside to Brixham Harbour – a distance of about eight-and-a-half miles on Monday, September 7.

The walk is the brainchild of Street Pastor Bill Becher and his wife Maralyn, who are both keen walkers with a long affiliation with the South Devon Ramblers.

Bill said: 'We were inspired by the example of Reverend Jerry Cook – known as the 'Rambling Rev'- and his sponsored walks for local causes.

'And with the NHS very much in the spotlight, we felt the time was right for a fundraiser in aid of the Torbay Hospital League of Friends.'

He added: 'We both worked at Torbay Hospital when we were first married. I am a volunteer on the Torbay Hospital chaplaincy team and a Torbay Street Pastor.

'We have asked a few friends and walking enthusiasts to join us on Monday, September 7.'

To donate online, go to www.thlof.co.uk and click on 'donate now' (there will be a message box where you can mention the walk), or you may donate via any of the walkers: Bill and Maralyn Becher, the Rev. Jerry Cook, Mark Pool, Pastor Tim Smith, Sarah Doman, Ian Cawley, and Lee Bray.