Two school friends who marked their 30-year reunion by embarking on a charity trek of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, made such good time that they crossed the finishing line a day earlier than planned.

It took fund-raisers Sarah Belfield-James, of Llanfallteg, and her friend from Bristol, Liz Cousal, eight-and-a-half days to complete the walk from Poppit Sands to Amroth. The duo, however, returned to the New Inn at Amroth on the Saturday afternoon to join in with the celebrations organised and for a spot more fund-raising.

"We experienced a few extreme highs and lows along the way, but the support we've received in general has been tremendous and reduced me to tears at one point," said Sarah, who recalled the generosity of one person who pulled out a £5 note out of his pocket to give to the cause.

"We have to thank Ruth Silverstone for travelling down to massage our legs and also Raymond from Stoddart Cars taxis who has taken us to our starting points," added Sarah, who also thanked her husband who had 'been like a brick'.

The money raised from the walk will benefit the Paul Sartori Foundation, Ty Hafan Children's Hospice, Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre and the Wessex Neurological Centre, where Sarah's brother recently underwent successful surgery to remove a brain tumour.

A feast of entertainment took place at Amroth's New Inn following the walk, which included a pig roast, fireworks display and charity auction. As well as the sponsorship the two ladies received from local businesses and individuals, a phone-text competition has also been set up to raise more money for charity.

Guess the combined number of steps it took the duo to walk the 186 miles, then text 'STEPS' followed by your guess to 60070. Each text costs £1 plus your standard network message rate. The earliest, closest guess will win, so do your best to pick a unique number. The competition closes on May 31.