Members of staff working for Douch Family Funeral Directors – and their family and friends – have not only improved their fitness, they have raised more than £2,700 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Five teams from across the group’s seven branches completed up to 26 miles in a day for their charity of the year.

They included ‘Wendy’s Walkers’ whose eldest member was 79 and managed to smash her 10-mile target.

Wearing branded T-shirts they also raised awareness about the importance of the air ambulance.

The group’s target for the year was £3,000 so they have raised nearly all of it in one go and hope to exceed it with other fundraisers.

Organiser Emma Regan said: “It was one of our first fundraisers for our new charity of the year and we raised more than we’d hoped.

“We’d like to thank everyone who sponsored us and made all the blisters worthwhile.

“Six of us walked the length of a full marathon and the others did half that – but it was a warm day and tough.

“The air ambulance is extremely important and receives no funding from the government or national lottery. Every life-saving mission costs approximately £3,000 so every penny raised is put to good use – and money from the walk is still coming in.

“We had 23 staff, family and friends taking part. They included Chris Baldry who saw the walk advertised on Facebook and wanted to take part.

“As ever they all really put in a lot of effort to complete it and find sponsors.

“We have other fundraisers planned for the year and obviously hope to raise as much as possible for this great charity.”

The funeral group has seven branches which are in Wimborne, Ferndown, Wareham, Poole, Swanage, Blandford and Corfe Mullen.