A SIMPLE walk through the county town has raised £200 for a vital charity.

A new fitness club in Dorchester organised the walk in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare.

Approximately 30 people took part in the 7km stroll on Saturday, talking walkers from Brewery Square to Maiden Castle before returning back to Brewery Square - but not without stopping for some well-deserved refreshments first at Simon’s Delicatessen.

Jo Thomson, an instructor at Anytime Fitness who organised the event, said: “We had about 30 people attend and we raised about £200 for Weldmar which isn’t too bad for a morning stroll really.

“The feedback was really positive, a lot of people who came along said they would like to make it a regular event, there was a real sense of community.

“One family who have recently moved to the area said they had been looking for a community event to get involved with and this worked really well.

“I have always done quite a bit for Weldmar so when I teamed up with Anytime Fitness they chose Weldmar as their charity of the year and it’s all stemmed from there.

“A walk is a great fundraiser as it is something anyone can take part in. We had dogs, buggies, women and children everyone involved.

“The walk itself was nice and comfortable it was 7km in total so we did about 9,000 steps in an hour and a half.

“Also want to thank Simon's Delicatessen as they laid on a spread and refreshments for us afterwards.”

All proceeds raised for the charity walk will go towards Weldmar Hospicecare, helping people with life-limiting illnesses living in Dorset.

Matt Smith, fundraising manager at Weldmar Hospicecare, added: “We would like to thank Anytime Fitness in Brewery Square for organising this fundraising event in aid of Weldmar and for continuing to support our cause throughout 2017.

“To enable us to continue providing our services free of charge across Dorset, we rely on the generosity of the local community and businesses. All the money raised will help to be there for people who require our care in the future.”