A group of travel agents from Bishop Auckland have walked the length of the Canadian Rockies to raise money for a local cancer support group.

The 13-strong team from Hays Travel aimed to walk the 900 miles on an instore treadmill throughout March to raise money for the Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group, but ended up doing a whopping 1126 miles!

The event made a massive £1,389 for the charity that supports people living with cancer, as well as their loved ones and carers.

Hays Travel Bishop Auckland assistant manager, Rebecca Labron, said: “We chose this charity, as cancer has affected us in many different ways.

“We really wanted to do something to help Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group as they offer so many services to people going through such a hard time.

“They offer free patient transport to hospital appointments, chemotherapy and radiotherapy bags, support groups, and breaks for patients and their families.

“They are currently being hit with the cost of fuel prices, as they rely on volunteer drivers for their ever-expanding transport service.

“By raising this money, we can make a real difference to the charity and help with some of their costs. Allison and her team really are amazing people and are worth their weight in gold.”

Allison White, founder of the Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Hays Travel for raising such a fantastic amount of money for Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group.

“Every penny will go directly towards supporting local cancer patients, helping us provide free patient transport to hospital appointments and vital support services for families across County Durham and Darlington.”

Hays Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel agent, with branches across the UK – all committed to supporting their customers and the local communities they serve.

Each Hays Travel branch is provided with a £500 budget to use for fundraising and charity work in their local area; £200 of this is to be used to fundraise for charities which support young people’s mental health, and the other £300 can be used for charities chosen by the branch.

In the last year, Hays Travel’s Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network has donated almost £170,000 to local charities.