The sun shone on a group of walkers who headed down to Coate Water to hold a fundraiser for a local cancer charity.

The sponsored walk raised over £1,100 for Affected By Cancer (ABC), who provide meetings and support for those suffering from cancer and families of those affected by the disease.

Trish Woods, a founding member of the charity, said: “Quite a few of the walkers were people who have had cancer, and there were a lot of relatives there as well.

“Those who weren’t well enough to take part helped by making cups of tea.

“They are such a jolly group of people. They enjoy their outings, and they enjoy every minute of life, which I think you do if you are touched by cancer.”

ABC has around 60 members from the Swindon and Great Western Hospital area, most of whom attend twice-monthly meetings with refreshments and guest speakers at the Lawn Community Centre. They also host a monthly evening meeting for young men affected by cancer.

The funds raised will go towards subsidising these gatherings, as well as organising trips for the groups: previous outings have included visits to Bletchley Park and the Royal Mint.

Trish explained: “We try to get entertaining speakers, who can help the group to laugh a lot. It could be an explorer or an author.

“We have health speakers at times, but we try and get away from that because we want people who have been touched by cancer, or who have lost someone to cancer, to be able to get out of the hospital environment and have something else.”