Hundreds of walkers and cyclists are hoping to raise tens of thousands of pounds for local charities after taking part in the annual Orwell Walk/Ride from Ipswich to Felixstowe.

The event, organised by the Rotary Club of Ipswich East, has become a fixture on the town’s calendar since the first was organised in the mid 1970s.

This was the 38th – and the second year that cyclists were invited to take part.

With distances ranging from three to 27 miles, there was something for people of all abilities and stamina to take part in – and dozens of local charities are set to benefit.

Rotary Club president Graham Bickers said the final total of participants was expected to top 800: “We’ve got 518 walkers pre-registered and well over 150 cyclists, but we always get a good number who turn up on the day, especially if the weather is good like it is today.”

Participants raise money for their own charities and give 25% of their proceeds to the club. The money it raises goes towards creating special boxes that are flown out to disaster zones.

A tent similar to that flown out as part of an emergency box to the Philippines following last year’s typhoon was on display: “We raised enough money for two of these boxes at this club alone – they are vital in the first hours and days following a disaster,” Mr Bickers said.

This year’s event was sponsored by Fred Olsen which had a team taking part raising money for the Suffolk Family Carers’ appeal to buy a mobile centre.