QUEEN Elizabeth Country Park has been praised for its part in ensuring this year’s Trailwalker challenge started on time, despite abysmal weather.
The annual 30-hour 100km walk to Brighton racecourse raises money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust, and this year it generated more than £900,000.
Oxfam spokesman Rachel Jones said: “The country park is the start point, and staff there did an amazing job, and they also entered a four-strong team.
“It was a really good event considering the weather, which made it far tougher than normal, so all the entrants should be proud of themselves.”
Among the 1,568 people who took part in teams of four – 1,237 finished – were teams from Petersfield, including one led by 74-year-old Ian Crawford, of Rother Close.
He has finished the walk the 19 times it has been held, but says this year’s over the weekend of Saturday, July 29, may be his last.
He said: “Three out of four of us finished after suffering appalling weather.
“It rained for seven hours which was horrendous, and there was also torrential rain at about 2am on the Sunday, making the chalk path very slippery, and I went flying.
“Thankfully, a team came to my rescue and looked after me until I recovered, luckily I only suffered bruising.
“Only 192 teams out of 412 finished as complete teams, and many of those were from the armed forces.”
Also battling the elements were friends Robert Bennett, Andy Connor, Pete Swatton and Iain McArthur, who came from Petersfield, Liphook and Haslemere.
Robert, from Petersfield, said: “The appalling rain made it much harder, nothing could have prepared us for how slippery, muddy and treacherous it was in those conditions.”
So far, the group has raised more than £2,300 but donations can still be made through the website at: www.justgiving.com/companyteams/strollingundertheinfluence