FRIENDS and colleagues at St Laurence School are banding together to take on the Royal United Hospital Walk of Life on May 14.

In just under a month’s time, admin staff and friends from the Bradford on Avon school will walk nine, 12 or 21 miles along the Kennet and Avon canal, from Devizes to Bath, as part of the RUH’s Forever Friends Appeal to build a new cancer wing.

Suzy Wakenell, St Laurence trip and attendance co-ordinator, lost her father to cancer in 2011 and completed the 21 miles last year in dedication to him and this year she will be flanked by 11 others for the long hike.

“I did it last year in memory of my dad and it was a great success. This year there will be even more of us walking together for a great cause. Hopefully we will not get any bad blisters,” said Mrs Wakenell, who will be wearing a shirt with her dad’s picture on it for the walk.

“I am really looking forward to it, we all are. We all have personal reasons for doing this and we are raring to go. It is a great day out, a very worthwhile experience and it has a fantastic atmosphere.

“We will cheer each other on. There should be a great buzz on the day. The weather has been rubbish recently so it is hard to train but I am sure we will be ready.”

The RUH in Bath is building a cancer wing, which should be fully operational by 2019 and should cost nearly £30m, and the Forever Friends Appeal is attempting to raise a minimum of £8.5m towards that.

To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/St-Laurence-School-Team