A group of seven women and one man are to embark on a 190-mile coast-to-coast expedition to raise money for the refurbishment of their church hall.

Fulwood Methodist Church, Watling Street Road, Ladies After 8 Group will start their 17-day walk on Thursday, September, 1, and hope to raise thousands of pounds for the project.

The walk will start at St Bees Head, Cumbria, and will take them over mountain passes, across rivers, and through moorland before arriving in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.

They will stay at youth hostels and bed and breakfasts along the way, and will have their luggage transported each day in cars, by other church-goers.

Organiser Margaret Squire, 55, has been training intensively for the past month. She said: "We're hoping people will appreciate the fact that for young athletic people it would be tiring and for people of our age it's a much bigger undertaking."

She said the Ladies After 8 group, which meets fortnightly, has been planning the trek for nine months, and promised to give part of the proceeds to North West Air Ambulance.

"Let's hope that we don't have to call them out for help," Mrs Squire added.

The congregation has already raised £300,000 for the refurbishment, which has been running for more than three years. But the church is currently re-assesing the plans as the projected £1million cost may be unaffordable.

For information on the walk or to sponsor them visit www.fulwood.org.uk or call Katy Hamilton on 01772 861634.

l Fair Trade campaigner Cath Greenlees, 61, and husband Cliff, 76, are to walk 82 miles from St Mary's Church, Church Avenue, Penwortham to Cartmel Priory, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria.

The couple are undertaking the eight-day trek, which starts on Tuesday, August, 23 to raise £5,000 for Christian Aid and a number of community projects in Africa. To sponsor the couple call 01772 613500.