A DORCHESTER teacher who trekked the length of the Jurassic Coast to raise money in memory of a friend has hit her £1,000 target.

Karen King walked over 120 miles along the coastal path from Exmouth to Poole to raise funds for the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust.

She was walking in memory of her good friend and colleague Debbie Haywood, who died in November following a battle with cancer and was cared for at the Joseph Weld Hospice in Dorchester in her final few weeks.

Karen, who lives in Crossways, is a teacher at Sunninghill Preparatory School in Dorchester and Debbie was her teaching assistant. She said: “Debbie was a wonderful, gentle and caring lady who was loved and respected by both staff and colleagues at Sunninghill Prep School.

“Nothing was ever too much trouble for her and she is sorely missed by everyone.

“Her dream was to walk the coastal path which is why I chose to do this walk in her memory.”

It took Karen eight days to complete the walk and she was joined by various friends on each day as well as her border collie Ruby for part of the journey.

She said: “The views were absolutely stunning and the weather fantastic for April, although there were quite a few diversions due to landslips.”

Lydia Hampshire, another friend of Debbie’s, helped organise the fundraising and they have amassed over £1,000 through sponsorship and events such as a jumble sale, guess the weight of the Easter cake, guess the name of the lifesize dog and a cake sale organised by children at Sunninghill School.

They have also arranged another jumble sale on Saturday, May 24 at the school where they hope to boost the total further.

Karen said: “We have got £1,000 already and there is a lot of money to come in.”

Anyone who wants to contribute can donate online at justgiving.com/Lydia-Karen