Married couple take on hike to show their thanks to hospital's maternity unit

Ingrid and Darren Hart, who met when they were both working at Salisbury Hospital and married in May last year, decided to raise money for the unit after their daughter, Elena, received critical treatment after an unplanned C-section when she was born in March this year.

The trio, from Dilton Marsh, are walking the 35-mile distance in eight separate stages and recently completed the fifth stage of their journey, which saw them walk from Stockton to Steeple Langford.

Mrs Hart, who now works as a community physiotherapist, said: “I have found that walking with a baby is a lot different to walking without one.

“There’s a lot of added paraphernalia such as nappies and rattles which weigh the bag down, which is why breaking it up into stages seemed like the best idea.

“It’s going really well so far and we’ve seen a lot of the beautiful Wylye Valley together. When we walk is very much dependent on the weather, as we have to dodge the rain.”

Mr and Mrs Hart aim to raise £500 by completing the hike, with 75 per cent of the money going towards supporting staff education programmes in maternity services and the rest going to the hospital's Stars Appeal, which raises funds to improve the experience of patients in all wards.

Mrs Hart added: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far and to Bill Brown, the author of The Wylye Way guide book, who generously gave us a copy of his book to give us route ideas.”

Gemma Heath, events and community fundraiser for the Stars Appeal, said: "We are delighted that Ingrid, Darren and Elena have chosen to support the Stars Appeal through this challenge.

"Their support will help the thousands of local people that our Salisbury Hospital’s Maternity unit sees each year.

"We wish them all the best for a safe and successful 35 mile walk and thank them for their support.”

Search for ‘Ingrid Wilkinson’ on JustGiving’s website to donate.