A GROUP of 35 people including NHS workers embarked on a trek from Winchester to Basingstoke Hospital raise money towards a new piece of radiotherapy equipment.

Despite the discovery of an unexploded World War two bomb in the River Itchen in Winchester on Friday evening, the group moved the starting point to Easton as a precaution.

Their route took them across the meadows through Martyr Worthy to Itchen Abbas, then over Abbotstone Down, across the Candover Valley into Dummer -where the local WI provided very welcome tea and cakes - before the final leg along the back of Kempshott and down Roman Road back to the hospital.

Organised by Overton residents Tina Devereux and Lorraine Major, the pair wanted to raise funds for the North Hampshire Medical Fund as they both work at Basingstoke hospital and were diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2016.

Tina said: “‘We were both very fortunate to catch our tumours at an early stage.

“The treatment which we received from the Breast and Radiotherapy teams at Basingstoke has been truly exceptional, so we wanted to give something back to the team and for the benefit of future patients.”

The walk raised around £8,000 which will help deliver the new piece of equipment to the hospital.

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/basingstokeorbust.