THE 44th annual Bridgnorth Sponsored Walk has been hailed as the best yet – and is set to raise a fabulous record of £125,000 for charities and organisations.
Huge crowds jammed the High Street on Bank Holiday Monday to see more than 1,000 senior walkers set off on the 22-mile marathon after mayor Councillor Val Gill cut the tape.
And, just three hours and 22 minutes later, Andy Rawlings crossed the finishing line in first place for an amazing 13th time.
“It was unbelievable,” said Walk committee chairman Derek Moorhouse. “There were so many people about that the police had to close Whitburn Street to traffic. The Walk was as good as it has ever been. We have had more people telling us how much they enjoyed it than ever before.
“It was also choc-a-bloc at Ditton Priors on the route and where the junior walk started and finished. The weather was ideal, everyone was good-humoured and there was no bad behaviour.
“The police operated a new traffic control on the Ludlow road roundabout at the end of the by-pass and our initial feedback suggests they were very pleased with that.
Our prime object is to raise money and we are delighted with the result,” said Mr Moorhouse.
“We want to thank everybody who turned out and the local residents on the route for their tolerance. The success reflects well on the walk and on Bridgnorth town.”
He said the Red Cross were kept busy dealing with minor injuries and blisters.
Entries organiser Peter Davison said that 1,020 seniors had started, with about 1,000 finishing and were sponsored for just under £110,000.
There were 205 juniors on the seven-mile walk from Ditton Priors playing field to the summit of the Brown Clee and back who were sponsored for a total of just under £15,000. All but three of the juniors of the finished.
Bridgnorth Lions Club member Mike Swales, aged 75, was the oldest man to finish. He completed the amended 20 mile route, while another local man, Martin Blackburn, 71, did the full 22 miles which included scaling the Brown Clee’s summit.
Most of the walkers had arrived back at Bridgnorth by 6pm, although the last person to finish came in at 7.45pm.
A successful food and drinks fair was held under the town hall, with a number of promotions to coincide with the walk and organised by the Bridgnorth Town Centre Management Partnership.
There were also a host of activities, including stalls, between High Street and Waterloo Terrace organised by Sally Powell and Mike Davies.
PICTURED: Andy Rawlings touches the ‘trig point’ on the summit of the Brown Clee, on his way to a record 13th best time in the Bridgnorth Walk.
Picture: Eddie Brown