A DOZEN-strong team of staff from East Lothian Council are lacing up their walking boots for charity.

Members of the local authority’s improvement team will hike from one end of the county to the other in aid of East Lothian Foodbank.

The 37-mile trek starts at Fisherrow Harbour at 7am on Saturday (September 4) with a view to the group reaching the DunBear sculpture on the outskirts of Dunbar 12 hours later.

Among those taking part is Caroline Rodgers, East Lothian Council’s improvement team manager.

She said: “As a team, we have all been working from home since last March and lockdown.

“We have had quite a lot of changes in the team and some of us, although we have been working together, have never met each other face-to-face. We wanted to do some kind of activity to bring us all together – when able to do so safely.

“We are a range of ages and fitness levels and wanted to do something that would be accessible to us.

“At the same time as we were thinking of organising the activity, East Lothian Council nominated East Lothian Foodbank as its charity of the year.”

Mrs Rodger will be joined on the walk by Rebecca Grangeret, Luke Dunn, Iain Grant, Ian Findlay, Michelle Coyle, Habiba Mimi, Paolo Vestri, David Braid, Linda Alexander, Charlann Peggie and Stephanie Kerr.

The walkers will follow the John Muir Way east along the county’s coastline towards Dunbar.

Not all members of the team will walk the full route, with the team aiming to cover a total of more than 270 miles between them.

The foodbank, based on Tranent’s Civic Square, opened its doors in October 2012.

Last year, the charity fed almost 7,500 people and provides three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to people throughout the county who are referred to them in crisis.

Mrs Rodger, who lives in Edinburgh and has previously taken part in moon walks and kilt walks, said: “We’ve been in touch with East Lothian Foodbank and they are delighted we are going to be supporting them – anything we can do to raise a bit of publicity for them.

“We have set a target of £500 to raise and even if we can encourage people to make donations of food, not just give money, then that is good.

“As a team, we have supported them over the last few Christmases.

“Rather than secret Santa or Christmas cards, we have brought in donations for their advent list to give to them before Christmas so they can get them out to people for the Christmas period.”

To support the council team, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/elc-improvementteam