A ROTARY club said it was disappointed its annual sponsored walk only raised about £1,500 for local and national good causes.

About 30 people joined the Rotary Club of Wantage walk on Sunday, setting off from the town cricket club and trekking along the Ridgeway.

But organisers said they were saddened that numbers fell from 50 in previous years after they moved the fixture from March to May to take advantage of better weather.

Club president Bill Roycroft said: “We were a little disappointed with the numbers.

“We traditionally ran the walk in March but we were hit with bad weather a couple of times so took the risk of making the move forward when we can guarantee the weather.

“The trouble is that in May you are competing with other events.”

However, he praised the walkers who did take part for their “exceptional” fundraising and collecting sponsorship.

The club asked walkers to either get sponsored and donate their total to the club to be invested in local and national good causes, or pay £5 to walk for their chosen charity.

Mr Roycroft said he thought about £1,000 of the total would go to the club to dish out to worthy organisations. Some of that money, he said, will go to Wantage special school Fitzwaryn to make some new raised beds for students to do gardening, as well as the Nepal earthquake appeal.