Grand Day Out in Cumbria, a day of fundraising for flood-hit communities and mountain rescue, has exceeded expectations with a whopping £20,450 in the bag - twice the sum organisers were hoping for.

On Saturday 16th January over 800 people attended a programme of more than 20 events staged across the county, including guided walks, MTB rides, trail runs, music gigs, film screenings, outdoor skills sessions and a charity auction and raffle.

Tom Rumsey, one of the organisers, said:

'Its incredible how people have got behind this. It has been a phenomenal response and I can only thank everyone that has come along and the amazing team that put this together Im simply blown away by this show of community spirit.

On the strength of this success the team behind the Grand Day Out are now eager to host further events later this year to raise more for Cumbria Community Foundation’s Flood Appeal and the area’s mountain rescue teams.

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