RESIDENTS, friends and staff at a retirement village joined together in a marathon effort to raise more than £1,100 for a wildlife charity.

The Woodland Walk event took place at Middleton Hall Retirement Village, in Middleton St George, near Darlington, and saw 176 miles walked in just a few hours.

The event, which raised £1,137 for Durham Wildlife Trust, marked the launch of Middleton Hall’s new Woodland Walk which has been designed to take advantage of the village’s surroundings, which are teeming with wildlife.

The group included Middleton Hall’s managing director Jeremy Walford, healthy living co-ordinator Charlotte Howe, assistant chef Paul Milford, head of operations David Richardson and maintenance supervisor Alan Grainge (CORR), who together completed 56 miles.

Residents and their families, who also took part in the event, could use either the new wheelchair-friendly woodland route or the one-mile Woodland Walk.

Middleton Hall has recently become a member of the Durham Wildlife Trust and Mr Walford said the retirement village was delighted with how much the community had raised for the charity.

He said: “It was great to see everyone come together to raise funds for the trust.

“People could do as little or as much as they wanted and with the new wheelchair-accessible pathway it meant that everyone could get involved.”

Jim Cokill, director of Durham Wildlife Trust said: “The support we’ve had from Middleton Hall is fantastic, and the trust will be using the money raised to support our work with schools and community groups in the Darlington area.

“There’s lots of evidence now that shows the benefits a wildlife rich environment can bring to people’s health and well-being, and Middleton Hall is a real example of that approach.”