Six determined St Albans friends hiked a marathon length up and over the British countryside to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

Everyone in the group - Charlie Moorhouse, Jenny Clark, Maria Ryan Dalton, Jacquie Nicholson, Emma Curran, and Susan Chappin - has benefitted from the work of Macmillan Cancer Support and decided to give back with the 26.2-mile sponsored walk.

On Saturday the Mighty Hike route took them from Brighton to Eastbourne, over the Seven Sisters, the South Downs and Beechy Head cliffs.

The friends, who have known each other for years, took about nine hours to complete the trek and raised a whopping £7,452 combined.

Charlie Moorhouse, who lost her mother to ovarian cancer 16 years ago, said: “The walk was amazing, absolutely amazing and really fantastic. I can barely walk now, but it was brilliant.

“The Seven Sisters are tagged onto the end of an although scenic and most beautiful route, which was incredibly tough at times.

“There were points that I myself could easily have given up. We worked as a team, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in a group, but encouragement from your closest friends was definitely the answer to completing this challenge.”

Although the group trained with regular walks around St Albans, nothing could prepare them for the steep inclines of the East Sussex rock faces.

She said they were lucky the weather was not dreary, as it was sunny with a light breeze: “We can’t thank our friends and family enough for their support before, through and after the event, mentally and especially financially, with their generous donations.”

She added that was the “most challenging thing any of us have done”.

“It has made the blisters and the sore hips and toes worth every minute. Each and every one of us is proud of our achievement.”

Macmillan work with people diagnosed with cancer through treatment and beyond, providing support and encouragement to them and their families.

According to the charity’s research, two million people were living with cancer in the UK in 2010, 2.5 million in 2015, and it expects that statistic to reach four million by 2030.

To donate to the walk, click here.