A company's sponsored walk has taken on a poignant meaning after the sudden death of a colleague.

Workers at the New Balance factory in Flimby will walk from Workington to Allonby to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance, a charity that they have often supported in the past.

But it has become even more important for the walk to be a success as one of the organisers Joanne Harris explained: "One of our supervisors, Marian Hyde of Harrington, collapsed and died suddenly recently.

"She was only 62. It was a terrible shock."

She said Marian was always the one who would pushing to raise money for the charity.

"We used to sell squares for £1 each and the winning square would win a prize. We have been doing it for quite a while and Marian was always the one who would run around making sure everyone had bought a ticket. We want to make this walk special in her memory."

She said the reason that the group of 34 walkers were supporting the GNAA was because of the wide number of people it helps.

"It seems the air ambulance is never out of the sky at the moment. It needs our support."

The group has already raised over £500 in sponsorship and forms are still being distributed.

They will set off from Tesco in Workington at 10am tomorrow and walk the 11 miles to Allonby.