The vice-chairman of the League of Friends of the Helston Community Hospital has spent almost two weeks hiking across the country to raise hundreds of pounds for the charity.

Heather Gilbert walked the coast to coast trail, from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire, covering 192 miles in aid of the hospital and Cornwall Children's Hospice.

Heather and her husband's cousin Margie Summers, a Helstonian by birth, joined a 14 strong group, including four Americans and five Australians on their trip from sea to sea, led by a 25 year old guid who she called "well informed and mature."

She said: "The journey starts with the age old tradition of collecting a pebble from the beach at St Bees, carrying it all the way with you on the journey and throwing it into the sea at Robin Hood's Bay.

"I took lots more pebbles which I dipped into the sea at Robin Hood's Bay, wrote the trip details on them and gave one each to our grandchildren."

The group walked through the mountains and valleys of the Lake District, beside the waters and of the Yorkshire Dales and through the many villages, and crossed miles of North Yorkshire moors with the heather in full bloom.

Heather said: "We crawled over rocky cairns, jumped over gushing becks and squelched through wet and treacherous peat bogs. Everywhere we looked there was both natural and man made beauty, from the man made dry stone walls to the natural glacial valleys and mountain tarns.

"Some days were very challenging in both the terrain and the distance travelled. Our most difficult day was in the Lake District where we started at 8.30am, spent the whole morning on a very steep climb, then walked across the ridge where we had lunch before spending the whole afternoon climbing down over rugged and slippery terrain. Sadly, although on that day we climbed to the highest point, there was heavy mist so we could not appreciate the view."

She said that the experience of the walk and the people she met will stay with her forever, as many of the walkers picked up blisters. Only four did not have to stop for rests along the way.

She added: "I had such admiration for those who walked with blisters, with infections, twisted knee, torn ligament and even wrong size boots. Well done to all. Where shall we go next?"

Alison has raised £600 so far which will be split between the two charities, and anyone who would still like to sponsor her can call 01326 562553 for details.

She added: "Thank you to all who have sponsored me."