THE sun shone brightly on families who stepped out to raise money for a leading regional children's charity yesterday.

The Children's Foundation held its Yellow Brick Road sponsored walk in the grounds of Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham.

Walkers could take a four-mile route, a ramble on country tracks, or a one-mile walk, which was aimed at families with toddlers or children in wheelchairs or pushchairs.

Walkers had the opportunity to see the Georgian landscape that the museum is restoring through a £750,000 project, due to be completed in 2003.

They also had the chance to view the museum's attractions and try a funfair in the grounds.

Money raised by the event will go towards projects to improve the health and quality of life of youngsters in the North-East.

Since it was founded in 1990, the charity has raised money to build the Sir James Spence Institute in Newcastle, a centre of excellence for research into children's health.