A TEAM of fund-raisers from the Tyne Valley have raised almost £9,000 for prostate cancer research.

Ashley Kennedy and her mum Shirley Hind have worked together, along with some of their friends, to collect £8,945 by climbing mountains, sponsored skydives, and other activities.

Ashley, who lives in Haltwhistle, explained the story of their fund-raising exploits.

She said: “It’s a great cause really close to all our hearts.

“It all started off when we decided we wanted to do something for prostate cancer, so me and a friend decided we would walk Ben Nevis.

“From there, it’s just gone from strength to strength.

“We’ve had a prize night, and we’ve had a charity boot camp. I’ve done a sky dive which was the best and worst experience of my life!”

To say thank you to the people of Haltwhistle for helping them raise the money, Ashley and Shirley decided to host a family fun day at one of the town’s pubs.

Hosted outside the Jubilee Inn, the event took place on Sunday, August 4, and featured various activities such as a barbecue and a raffle.

Ashley continued: “It was an amazing day, about 150 people came along.

“We decided that, because we’ve raised so much money, we would have a fun day.

“We just really wanted to do it because prostate cancer hasn’t had the awareness til recently.

“I hope we’ve raised some awareness, and hopefully the money will go to research.

“There’s so many people who have been affected by it.”

All the money raised on the day was added to the final total.

Shirley paid tribute to the people of Haltwhistle for coming together and supporting their cause.

She said: “I think Haltwhistle is a fantastic community.

“It’s not just about the events, it’s the people who have put their hands in their pockets.

“Dorothy McLauchlan at the Jubilee has done loads to help us too.

“The idea was everybody has done so much for us, lets do something for them and celebrate what we’ve done.

“Today was about getting the community together.”

Prostate cancer kills one man an hour in the UK alone, with one in eight men affected across the country.

Prostate Cancer UK urges anyone who is concerned to make an appointment with their GP.