A 73-year-old woman who suffers from Parkinson’s disease raised £700 on a sponsored walk from Minehead to Carhampton and back, on Saturday – one of the hottest days of the month.

Paula Hollingsworth needs a three-wheeled support frame to get about.

“It knocked the stuffing out of me,” she admitted. “But research into the disease is very underfunded and I was determined to do something to support the Parkinson’s UK charity, which does wonderful work for sufferers.”

The two legs of her walk took Paula two hours each, broken by a rest in Carhampton Village Hall.

She was accompanied by daughter-in-law and grandson, Karen and Taylor Hollingsworth, and backed by her husband Arthur, 81, and other friends and relatives.

“I have had Parkinson’s for nine years and am not in good health,” Paula said.

“I had been training for the walk by going out with our dog, but I hadn’t expected the weather to be so hot.”

Waiting for Paula at Tesco, Minehead – the end of her journey – was her 15-year-old grandson Reece Hollingsworth (pictured below), Somerset army cadet of the year, who had collected £126 for the challenge from shoppers.

“Paula is a very brave and determined lady,” husband Arthur said. “I am very proud of her.

“It is a very debilitating disease and she finds walking quite hard. But when she sets her mind on something there’s no stopping her!”

Further donations can be made via Arthur’s Facebook page.