FUNDRAISING walkers trekked across Gwent on Saturday and raised close to £3,000 for a charity appeal.

Parents Tom James, 24, and Rachel Murphy, 25, took part in the walk with other friends and family to raise money for Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital's official charity.

Their 20-week old son Sonny was born at the hospital with a congenital heart defect. He was later cared for at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, before again receiving further treatment in Bristol. He is now recovering well at home.

The Bedwas couple and their team completed the challenge to walk from the Royal Gwent Hospital, leaving to walk along the A48 to the children’s hospital at 7.45am on Saturday and stopped in Chepstow later that day on reaching the town that afternoon. Yesterday (Sun) the group reached Bristol in the middle of the afternoon.

In Chepstow they raised a further £300 after The Mughal Spice, which they dined in on Saturday evening, donated £240. Fellow guests staying at the Beaufort Hotel gave the appeal £60.

Ms Murphy, who also has daughter Mylie, four, said: “It was a little bit colder on Sunday but we haven’t had any rain. Going over the Severn Bridge was Baltic.”

The other walkers included Mr James’ father Peter and some of his colleagues from the Moorhouse Group.

For more information on the walk and to donate, visit justgiving.com/peter-james10.