A TOTAL of £65,700 has been handed over to nine Kent hospices at a presentation ceremony held at brewer's Shepherd Neame.

The amount was raised during the Kent Messenger walk held earlier this year around Faversham which atracted 3,100 walkers. Each hospice received a cheque for £7,300.

The nine hospices are Demelza House, the Heart of Kent Hospice, the Lions Hospice, the Ellenor Foundation, the Hospice in the Weald, the Wisdom Hospice, and the three Pilgrims Hospices in Margate, Canterbury and Ashford.

Shepherd Neame's managing director Jonathan Neame and the Kent Messenger Group's Simon Irwin, associate director - editorial, presented the cheques to representatives.

Mr Neame said since its inception in 1996 more than 239,000 people had taken part in the walks. Next year's will be held at the Hop Farm Country Park, at Beltring, on Sunday, May 18.

Mr Irwin said he was pleased with the part that the Kent Messenger had played in raising money, which had grown from £6,000 in 1996 to today's figure.

Demelza House received an extra £2,300 from two separate charity events.