OVER £20,000 has been raised for Pendleside Hospice at this year’s Pendle Pub Walk.

Organisers said they were overwhelmed by the turn-out for the 10-mile trek, with 550 people taking part in the annual event.

Initial pledges suggest that Pendle Pub Walk has raised over £20,000 – double the amount that organisers had set as a target.

Event organiser, Simon Tattersall, said: “It was such a special day!

"So many people coming together to do Pendle Pub Walk was fantastic.”

“From start to finish, everything went wonderfully well.

"Despite huge volume, our volunteers managed registrations really efficiently, all the pubs on route provided first class hospitality and all the walkers seemed to be having a really great day.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved – primarily all the walkers who covered the 10 miles and raised all the money, but also to all the pubs, our sponsors and those local businesses who advertised in our brochure.

"The £20,000 we’ve raised has left me and the rest of the organisers feeling very proud of the super efforts of so many people.”

“We had walkers from all walks of life – all portions of the local community, as well as people who came from as far away as Wiltshire, the Potteries and Lincolnshire.

"Even two local MPs, Andrew Stephenson and Nigel Evans, took time out from their busy schedules to join us.”

Christina Cope, fundraising manager at Pendleside Hospice, said: “We are delighted that Pendle Pub Walk was such a success.

"It was an excellent day out for hundreds of people and in what is a tough economic climate it has raised vital funds for the Hospice – people’s generosity has been wonderful.”