HUNDREDS stepped out on a charity walk at a North Yorkshire stately home.

The Walk Ten event, for Marie Curie Cancer Care, took place at Castle Howard on Sunday and attracted about 550 adults, in addition to a large number of children and dogs.

The 10km walk, which is expected to raise about £30,000 for the cancer charity, started at 7pm and everyone had finished the walk by 9.45pm. The evening did not end there though, with fireworks, live music and games going on afterwards.

The fun-filled night had a serious message, as the finishing time marked the start of the Marie Curie Nurse’s night shifts at 10pm, during which they care for terminally sick patients and give much needed support to carers and family members.

As a mark of respect for their hard work and effort, candles were lit and a minute’s silence held at Walk Ten events across the country.

As one of the first of 20 Walk Ten events this year, local fundraiser Laura Hambleton said: “We wanted to kick off the campaign in great style and really think we have. We wanted to put North Yorkshire on the map.”

She went on to discuss her hopes that the event would continue to gain popularity and said they were already in talks for dates for next year.