THE Non-Dorset Walk was completed by 450 people all around the world at the weekend to raise money for a cancer charity.

The annual Dorset Walk, a challenge of walking the 40 mile distance from Weymouth seafront to Studland, has been run by the Malcolm Whales Foundation every year since 2009. However, this year the walk went virtual because of the pandemic which allowed walkers from all over the country, and further afield, to take part.

Participants from as far as Dubai and China got involved in fundraising for the charity which has been set up in memory of Malcolm Whales who passed away after suffering from bowel cancer. Together, walkers have raised a total of over £20,000 which will be distributed between cancer charities across the country.

Damien Whales, found of the charity, said: "Our initial target was £10,000 which we thought was optimistic. I am stunned by how much we have raised. The virtual element of this year's walk had so much power as people were sharing stuff on social media and more and more people were seeing it and wanting to get involved.

"I've experienced such a range of emotions from the start of the Non-Dorset Walk. There was genuine disappointment that we weren't able to come to Dorset this year and haven't been able to walk along the beautiful coastline but one of the great parts of the Non-Dorset Walk is that people have learned how accessible their local area is and they are walking routes they have never seen before.

"In the future we will run the Dorset Walk and the Non-Dorset Walk alongside each other and people will be able to sign up to do either. The accessibility of the virtual nature of the Non-Dorset Walk is its strength as people putting stuff up on Twitter and Facebook from anywhere in the world is as connected as everyone else."

The Mintridge Foundation, Myeloma UK and After Umbrage will each receive £450. The rest of the money will be donated to cancer charities in need.

Damien added: "We've now got £20,000 to give away to cancer charities which is a great place to be. We want to give it away right now because charities need donations now more than ever."

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