A GROUP of friends from Basingstoke have completed a trek for charity in the heat while dressed as a popular character.

Under the team name Sole Survivors, Michelle Tejevo, Nicola Worth, Mike Worth and Lorraine Kearney Walls undertook the Mighty Hike around the Jurassic Coast in Devon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on June 30.

They tackled the 22-mile long journey, with cliff climbs and descents, on a very hot day dressed as the title character of Wally from the book series Where’s Wally?

Michelle said: “It started off as a bit of a joke when Nicola suggested the idea to do it dressed as Wally. We did get endless comments saying, ‘I’ve found you’ or ‘there he is’, but it was all part of the fun of the journey.

“It was really beautiful on the day and it was very hot. We had a bit of difficulty, especially when we had to cross a mile-long pebble beach in our hiking boots and hats. We did get a few funny looks from the people who were out sunbathing.

“We’ve previously done events like the Shine Walk, and we really wanted to challenge ourselves, and this was the best activity that we found.”

The group completed the course within 11 hours, and managed to get through the heat, even after some of the refueling stations on the way ran out of water.

Michelle added: “We heard afterwards that there were about 1,500 people who set out on the hike, but around 200 people had to drop out because of the heat. Sometimes, when we reached the stations for a drink, they told us that they had run out of water and it was three miles to the next stop.

“While it was very tough, it was for a good cause and the thought of what people have to go through and the work that the charity does kept up going. We smashed our fundraising target of £1,000 as lots of donations came in on the day, which was brilliant.”

The group has raised a total of £1,740, including Gift Aid, and counting. To donate, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/SoleSurvivors2018.