Woman's 50th marked by running 50 Dartmoor tors for beetle

Claire is completing her 50 tor mission with her dog, Fitz

A woman is celebrating her 50th birthday by running to the 50 highest tors on Dartmoor to raise money for a rare beetle.

Claire Hyne turns 50 in May but is using March to complete her fundraising challenge.

She says she loves the blue ground beetle (Carabus intricatus) because its stronghold is Dartmoor, where she lives.

Mrs Hyne is completing her mission over 11 runs and with her dog Fitz.

Laura Larkin, who is a senior conservation officer with charity Buglife, said: "We're absolutely thrilled by this ingenious way of celebrating a milestone birthday by raising money for our work with the blue ground beetle."

It was thought the beetle was extinct until it was rediscovered on Dartmoor in 1994

Mrs Larkin said the money raised would help to continue the charity's South West Blue Ground Beetle Project which has been running for three years.

She said: "There's still a lot we need to learn about the ecology of the blue ground beetle, and its habitat requirements, and the money raised by Claire will help to fund additional surveys for the beetle at sites across Dartmoor."

The beetle was thought to be extinct in the UK, until in 1994, when a population was discovered at a site on Dartmoor.

Mrs Hyne, who has lived on Dartmoor all her life, said running to the 50 highest tors for the rare nocturnal beetle was the perfect way to celebrate her milestone birthday.

She said she would also celebrate with a bottle of champagne and a nice meal.