Group treks Great Wall of China to raise £85k

A group of people who trekked along the Great Wall of China have raised more than £85,000 in support of a hospice.

The team took on the challenge to fundraise for Dove House Hospice, which is a charity that provides respite and end-of-life care for people in Hull and East Yorkshire.

The hospice warned they were facing a funding shortfall in April due to rising costs.

Singer Ruth Scott, from Hull, said she took part in the walk because the charity provided "incredible care" for vulnerable people and their families.

Dove House costs about £11m a year to run, but the charity only receives about £1m in statutory funding. The rest of its funds are raised by the community.

Twenty people signed up for the site's latest fundraising challenge and set off for China 17 May, walking a 31-mile (50km) route along the Great Wall.

Upon her return, Ms Scott said: "It's not an easy walk, incredibly steep in places, a lot of the wall is rubble.

"The views are just unbelievable. You can't comprehend.

"It's a privilege if I'm honest, to be able to go there."

She said she had felt inspired by the charity's work throughout the challenge.

"They provide incredible care for people when they're really vulnerable," she said.

"They're in the last stages of their life, and they support people who are dying, and also the families."

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