A DARING duo from Monmouth have walked 104km in a bid to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

Laura Voughan and Maja Baraskiewicz walked from London to Oxford on Saturday 21st May raising £1,179.50.

The pair trekked through the night, mostly along the River Thames, which took them 25.5 hours.

Laura and Maja were exposed to the elements which included heavy rain and deep mud. The pair nursed blisters and injuries between them but successfully completed the course.

Maja said: “We decided to do the walk as a lot of our clients come in with heart problems and my grandfather had a heart attack so the British Heart Foundation is a very worthwhile cause.

“We needed to do something extreme for the charity. I’ve taken part in the moon walk for breast cancer so wanted to do something similar.

“The event was well-organised and there were marshalls along the course supporting us.

“It was a lot harder than we thought it would be but we had such a sense of achievement in finishing when so many didn’t finish.

“The whole experience was great, meeting people supporting each other and the scenery along the way was beautiful.

“I hit a wall three quarters of the way through and had a really tough time.

“To see the sun rising, it gave us an extra boost of energy.”

When asked if they would be doing this walk again Maja answered with an emphatic “yes”.

Andy Coles, fundraising event manager at BHF, said: “We are so grateful to Laura and Maja for their incredible fundraising efforts on our London to Oxford 100km trek.

“Despite lots of rain on the Saturday, they powered through and were welcomed with sunshine as they crossed the finish line in Oxford.

“Thanks to their commitment they have raised well over £1,000 for our life saving research which will really help us continue to make great strides in our fight against heart disease.

“I would once again like to thank and congratulate Laura and Maja for taking on this gruelling challenge.”

If you would like to donate to the duo’s challenge, send an email to [email protected]

Pictures courtesy of Brendan Foster photography.