A PRIEST in Cornwall has undertaken a fundraising walk in order to raise money for a Cornwall-based emergency service.

Karsten Wedgewood is a priest, covering St Just, Pendeen and Morvah on the Lands End peninsular.

He set out to walk the Fellsman – a high-level traverse covering more than 60 miles over very hard, rugged moorland. The event climbs over 11,000 feet in its path from Ingleton to Threshfield in the Yorkshire Dales.

His parishioners sponsored him to take on the expedition, with the donations going to West Cornwall Search & Rescue Team.

Over £630 have been raised for the Cornish charity.

Karsten is also an operational call-out member for the Mountain Rescue affiliated organisation, joining the team in 2020 and attending many incidents since.

Falmouth Packet: Karsten WedgewoodKarsten Wedgewood (Image: Supplied)

Around 20 miles into the event, however, Karsten needed assistance of his own. He badly twisted his ankle on uneven ground. Hobbling to the next checkpoint he had to retire from the race.

Karsten said: "It shows how quickly things can go wrong, and anyone may need help from a Mountain Rescue team whilst exploring the outdoors.

"Thanks so much to the community of St Just, Pendeen and Morvah for supporting their vicar and raising vital funds for the search and rescue team. I’ll aim to take on the challenge (hopefully more successfully) next year!"

West Cornwall Search & Rescue Team is a registered charity providing an inland search and rescue service for lost, missing and injured people across West Cornwall, at any time and in any weather.

The team responds to 30-40 incidents a year, and call-outs range from simple evacuations from the moors or woodland, lasting a couple of hours, to extended searches over several days and nights.