Saffery Rotary Walk: Ruth Mahy takes part for 23rd time

Ruth Mahy first completed it to raise money for a charity helping her mum

Ruth Mahy has completed the Saffery Rotary Walk 22 times since she first took on the challenge in 2000.

On Saturday she will try to make it 23 when she attempts the round-island walk again.

The 39-mile charity trek starts in St Peter Port and sees hundreds walk around the coast of Guernsey.

Her fastest time was in 2009 when she completed it in 10 hours and 50 minutes.

Ruth Mahy's efforts were recognised in 2022 when she received the Peter Walker award for endeavour

Mrs Mahy first completed it to help raise money for Les Bourgs Hospice - a charity that was helping her mum at the time.

She said: "It was the year my mum passed away but before then she was at Les Bourgs Hospice. She passed away in the August after the walk but I raised some money to help them. Because they've done so much to help so many people it was lovely to do it."

It is one of 25 local charities that will benefit from the money raised this year.

In the walk's first year in 1998 just 13 people took part raising £1,200.

Now it claims to be one of the island's largest fundraisers, raising a total of about £70,000 last year.

Mrs Mahy plans to continue doing the walk for as long as she can saying: "As long as my body will let me do it yes I'll keep doing it. But I'm not getting younger. Unfortunately I'm 65 this year so I'll keep going until the body says no."

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