The High Sheriff of Cumbria was one of three in the North West who joined forces to raise funds for the North West Air Ambulance (NWAA).

To celebrate the charity’s 21st year, the High Sheriff of Cumbria Julie Barton, along with the High Sheriff of Merseyside John Roberts and Lancashire's Catherine Penny, took on the Go21! Challenge.

Julie Barton took on a 21-mile walk to follow the path of the air ambulance from Coniston to Furness General Hospital.

Aiming to raise £6,000 in total, the Sheriffs exceeded their target by more than £1,000.

The funds will support the lifesaving work of the air ambulance crew, which works 365 days a year to provide enhanced pre-hospital care to the most critically ill patients across the North West.

The service is solely dependent on public and corporate donations, needing to raise £9.5m a year to stay in the skies.

High Sheriff Julie Barton said: "The charity celebrated its 21st birthday, so our posse of High Sheriffs decided to set ourselves a December Go21! Challenge to raise some money and awareness to thank the charity and its crew for everything they do for people in Cumbria and across the North West."

Jon Ward, head of high value giving at the charity, said: “On behalf of the entire NWAA team and crew, I want to say a big thank you to Catherine, John and Julie.

"To have their support for our Go21! challenge is incredible, and their fundraising has been fantastic.

"All support, particularly this year, is absolutely vital for our organisation.

"It means we can ensure people across the North West have access to advanced medical support no matter where they are in the region, with our crew often providing care during some of the worst moments of patients’ lives.”

To support the High Sheriff’s challenge visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hsgo21

To take on your own Go21! Challenge visit https://www.nwaa.net/go21challenge