CUTCOMBE resident and Moorland Hall and Recreation Ground trustee Sally Parish has raised more than £2,000 towards a new roof for the village hall, which will cost about £33,000, by running over 30 miles on Exmoor.

Sally completed three ten-mile circuits from her home in the village, up the side of the hill to the very top and back, in 6.5 hours after starting at 4.40am on Saturday and braving thick fog and horrendous winds.

Sally said: “The first time I got to the trig point I couldn’t even see the stone beacon. The second time the fog had thinned slightly but by the third time the wind up there was so strong I could hardly stand and was staggering sideways with my hands over my face so I could breathe.”

Sally took professional advice from Louise Harris of Unleash Your Mojo during her training and was cheered on by friends and family from their doorsteps, random roadside locations and lay-bys on the hill. “They were amazing – seeing a familiar face in those bleak conditions really buoyed me on and helped me through the worst bits. I couldn’t have done it without them,” she added.

But that was not the end of Sally’s challenge. After hitting her first target of £500 she said she would sit in an ice bath if funds reached £800 – which they did, and that she would wear a costume if £1,000 was raised. Shortly after crossing the finishing line Sally donned her swimming costume, goggles and unicorn shower cap, and sat in a water trough of ice and rubber ducks for eight minutes.

“Advice suggests wearing a thick jumper, board shorts and neoprene boots for an ice bath – so I obviously did the opposite.” said Sally through chattering teeth.

She has no plans for any future fundraising challenges – but watch this space…To sponsor Sally visit her justgiving page www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sally-parish