A GROUP of female rugby players who stepped out in aid of a cancer charity have raised £2,500 for their chosen cause.

Forty members of the Chipping Sodbury Rugby Club ladies team, and their friends and family, completed the 12-mile walk from the Bristol Hippodrome back to their clubhouse on Sunday, January 5 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Armed with collection tins and with many members wearing fancy dress, the public helped the women with cheers of encouragement on what was a wet and miserable morning.

Naomi Iles, who helped organise the walk, said: “The support we received before, after and during the walk was overwhelming.

“At the beginning of the walk the people of Bristol were very generous and on the last leg of the journey in the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area people were obviously expecting us and drivers stopped in the road to give money and people stopped to cheer us on, even families were waving from the houses. We really weren't expecting the amazing response we got.”

The group had initially aimed to raise £1,000 but smashed that target and is on course to triple the figure with donations still being counted.

Added Naomi: “We believe that the final figure will send us over £3,000 and we could not be more thrilled.

“We would like to personally thank each and every individual who donated.

“It was hard going and the weather was against us but we were relatively lucky that despite a lot of rain, the storm predicted for the afternoon held off long enough to let us finish.”

Neil Ward from Mprc Kingswood sponsored the walk and Greenham Safety and Workplace Supplies supplied high visibility jackets because of the adverse weather conditions.

Anyone who would still like to make a donation is welcome to via www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CSRFC