A SINGLE parent with a passion for walking and bell-ringing set off on Saturday from Tetbury on a mammoth walk to raise money for refugees.

Donna Crowther, who is an active member of St Mary’s church in Tetbury, turned 50 at the weekend and wanted to mark the milestone with a personal challenge.

She decided that a 100-mile sponsored walk for Christian Aid’s work with refugees and displaced people in Iraq and Lebanon would suit her better than a party.

Her friend Alison Hesketh joined her in organising the walk, and a fundraising target of £14,286 was set. More than £5,000 had already been raised before she set off at the weekend.

The walk, which she hopes will be completed by this Sunday, will represent both a personal and spiritual journey, as she will visit churches in the villages in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire which have played some part in her life. She will be ringing the bells in the churches.

Donna set off with a group of 14 friends for the first part of her journey after a Christian Aid Big Breakfast at Christ Church in Tetbury on Saturday.

She will walk around 12 miles each day, returning home each night for a good night’s sleep, before starting again at the church where she tended the journey the day before.

The group will finish at St Mary’s church in Tetbury on Saturday, January 20 with a tea and a service of thanksgiving.

She is being joined by different groups of friends along the way and will visit churches at villages and towns including Painswick, Leckhampton,Shipton Oliffe, Northleach, Cirencester and Shipton Moyne.

Funds raised will go to Christian Aid’s Iraq & Lebanon Partnership Project which will be match funded 6:1, turning the target of £14,286 into £100,000.

Tetbury Deputy Mayor Councillor Kevin Painter was at the send off on Saturday. He said: “It’s the Tetbury people that make you so proud of our town.

“It’s not just about making a donation, it’s about making a difference.

“And thank you Donna you certainly have made a difference.’’

Visit the walk’s Just Giving sponsorship page at justgiving.com/campaign/hundred-mile-walk