A GROUP of friends successfully completed a sponsored walk along the historic Templar Way last Saturday which links Dartmoor with the South Devon Coast.

Julie Overnell, Isabel Heycock, Elliott Overnell, Alison Webster, Judy Lambley and Lesley Strong, started the 15 mile walk at Haytor and finished at Coombe Cellars near Combeinteignhead. The walk was organised to raise money for West Devon based charity called The Friends of Urambo and Mwanhala' (FUM). The money raised will be used specifically towards one of the charity's projects this year — to provide safe water to two rural villages in Tanzania.

For the last 50 years FUM has been helping with the development of rural villages in the Tabora region of Tanzania. There are many areas it concentrates on supporting, including providing safe water supplies at 12 village clinics, colleges and villages through the provision of boreholes, wells and rainwater harvesting.

FUM?also educates young villagers by providing training in woodwork, metalwork, tailoring and agriculture as well as providing bursaries for children at a primary school who are orphaned or from very poor families which has enabled many to continue on to secondary education.

For more information on FUM visit http://www.fumuk.org.uk">www.fumuk.org.uk

Julie and Jonathan Overnell, who live in Bere Alston, volunteered in the Tabora region in 1995 with a charity called Health Project Abroad and with a group of volunteers assisted the locals in building health dispensaries in remote villages. They have been involved with FUM since 1996. Isabel Heycock was a VSO in the late 1960s at Tabora School for Girls and has been a member of FUM for many years.

Julie and Isabel arranged the walk specifically to raise money for the project and were joined by local friends and family, the youngest members being Elliott, 12, who walked all 15 miles and Ruby, 8, who walked seven miles along with her dad Jonathan.

Julie said: 'The walk was very enjoyable and mainly downhill with stunning views. We were able to see our destination and our starting point from many sites along the walk which spurred us on to the end. We would like to thank all those who have kindly sponsored us so far.'