AN OKEHAMPTON woman is celebrating after overcoming health problems to complete a 13-mile trek on Dartmoor to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Sue Wonnacott and her oldest friend Sarah Pares completed the Trek26 Dartmoor 2021.

Sue was walking in memory of her mum, who had early onset Alzheimer’s, and has so far raised more than £1,300.

Sue said: ‘After a lot of training in previous months in all weathers on Dartmoor, my friend Sarah Pares and I also attended a Navigation Training Course as part of the ‘This Girl Can’ initiative in conjunction with the Dartmoor Way and Sport England to improve our skills and give us more confidence in map reading and using a compass. This was an excellent course run by Two Blondes Walking with a half-day refresher. We now feel happy heading off to new places to explore our beautiful countryside.

‘I had a slight hitch two weeks ago as I had two days in hospital with an abscess in my groin which had to be drained in surgery, so I had been unable to prepare as well.

‘I still have an open wound which is being dressed every few days so it was touch and go as to whether I could safely undertake the walk but after all the support I have received, I decided to give it a go!

‘We were lucky with the weather as it was much better than forecast and the organisation was amazing with a snack before we set off, lunch at the halfway point and Prosecco and a medal at the finish. We even found an ice cream van en route for a pit stop!

She added: ‘It was fantastic to finish as the last two miles were quite tough with my wound aching and being along roads it was harder on tired legs but it was an achievement to help such a worthwhile charity.’

Sue decided to do the trek after reaching her 60th birthday, and reflecting that her mum had died at the age of just 58.

‘It has really hit me now how young she was and how much she missed out on with her grandchildren,’ she said.

‘I have raised about £1,300 and they informed us at the finish that between all the walkers yesterday we had raised over £250,000 which will do so much to help with research and help for families struggling with such a cruel disease.’

You can still donate by visiting justgiving.com/fundraising/Susan-wonnacott2.com