TWO friends put their best foot forward in heatwave conditions to help raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

Chris Harvey and Ross Fowler walked the 81 miles of the Essex Way in four days to raise money for the charity.

Chris, who is chairman of the Maldon and Dengie branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, and Ross, a CAMRA member from Burnham, walked from Epping to Harwich across the hottest week of the year so far.

In near 30C heat they completed the walk and raised more than £1,200 for Parkinson’s UK.

Chris said: “I had always thought it was going to be challenging but the intense heat made it even tougher.

“Ross and I were a good team and supported each other when the going got tough.

“We’re so pleased to have collected so much money for Parkinson’s UK.

“A good friend of mine was diagnosed with the condition two years ago, and currently there is no cure for it.

“As you’d expect, we made sure that every night we stayed somewhere where we could have some decent beer.”

Ross added: “The walk was much harder than I had expected but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

“We live in a beautiful part of the world, and the Essex Way really enables you to see the best the county has to offer.

“We must also thank our friend Mike Cutler, who drove us to and from the start and finish of each day’s walking to our overnight stops.”

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/GreatEssexWayTrek.