WHITCHURCH Alport's ladies side have vowed to walk 500km, and will walk 500km more for to show they are by the NHS' side.

On May 1, the team set the challenge of walking 500km between the player and coaches, with the aim of reaching the target by June 1.

The team has undertaken the challenge to support NHS Charities Together, as well as helping raise funds for the team itself.

The aim was to raise £500, but since May 1, the team has easily beat both aims, and are now setting their sights much higher.

Alport Ladies captain Kirsty Fisher-Sherratt says the fundraiser is to shore-up the shortfall in club income, as well as show their support for the NHS.

She said: "Just like most teams, our 2019/2020 season was brought to an end and was null and void due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Each player has been working extra hard behind the scenes to ensure their fitness and love of the game doesn't slip and we can put everything we have into the new season, whenever that will be.

"We are a club that relies solely on numbers through the gate on a Sunday and donations behind the bar.

"With this horrible virus bringing a holt to the beautiful game we have no source of income to keep our fantastic football club running.

"We have some hard working and dedicated nurses, health care workers and key workers that play for our team and we understand that they are under immense strain and pressure at the moment, putting theirs and their families lives at risk on a daily basis.

"We have chosen to split whatever money we raise between our club and the NHS charity as a token of our gratitude for all of their hard work.

But as Kirsty explains, the team has already 'smashed' their target, and will now be aiming for 1,000km, as well as aimed to raise as much money as possible.

"We've already smashed our target," she added. "We started off doing a 500km challenge, as a group the whole football team are behind it.

"Each individual can run or walk as many kilometres in a day that they want.

"We set 500km but we did 200km in two days so we've upped that to 1000km.

"We've split the funds 50/50 between NHS Charities and the Ladies Team of Alport.

"We haven't upped the money side, as if people want to give then they will give what they want to give, we don't want to seem greedy.

"But there's still a bit of money coming in each day, if the challenge ends in May no reason why we can't double our money."

To donate to the fundraiser, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/walfc500kmchallenge