HOSPICES in Kent received a share of £40,000 raised by thousands of people who took part in this year's KM Shepherd Neame charity walk.

Kent Messenger Group chief executive David Lewis and Jonathan Neame, managing director of Shepherd Neame, joined forces to present hospice managers with the impressive sum raised from the event, which was this year held at the Hop Farm Country Park in Beltring, Paddock Wood.

A total of 2,000 people took part in the walk in May, which was the eighth organised by co-sponsors the Kent Messenger Group and the Faversham-based brewers Shepherd Neame.

More than £290,000 has been raised for Kent charitable causes over the years from the walk.

Representatives from the nine Kent hospices to benefit from the charity walk attended the country park on Tuesday to receive their share of the money from Mr Lewis and Mr Neame.

The hospices to benefit are the three Pilgrims Hospices at Canterbury, Willesborough and Margate; Demelza House children's hospice, near Sittingbourne; Heart of Kent Hospice, Aylesford; the Hospice in the Weald, Pembury; the Lions Hospice, Northfleet; the Ellenor Foundation, Dartford; and Wisdom Hospice, Rochester.

Attending to receive the money were Richard Snow from Hospice in the Weald, Lynn Collier from Demelza, Sandie Wade and Kay Hooker from the Lions Hospice, Lindsay Goode from the three Pilgrims Hospices, Julia Robinson and Jeff Glover from the Ellenor Foundation and Caroline Ford from Wisdom Hospice.