A WOMAN raised more than �985 for charity after taking part in a jailbreak challenge.

Welwyn resident Christine Goodwin and her son’s girlfriend Veronique Foster undertook the challenge to raise funds for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust.

Wearing convict shirts, the duo ‘escaped’ from Colchester Castle at 10am on April 17 and had 24 hours to get as far away from the area as possible.

Christine said: “We legged it to the edge of Colchester where we started thumbing for help.

“It took 10 lifts to get from Colchester to Betws-y-Coed in North Wales including one from a barrister who gave us some ‘legal advice’ on the way, one from a family from Stevenage, a lift from a man who went miles out of his way to take us from Coventry to Telford and a lift from a woman from Anglesey who detoured to drop us at Betws-y-Coed.

The 57-year-old continued: “At Betws-y-Coed we checked in to the Court House bed and breakfast.

“This is in the 19th century court house, police station and jail for the village.

“We were immediately taken to the original jail cells for ‘convicted felons and ‘solitary confinement’, both about 6ft by 4ft with original doors with grills and small openings to pass in food.

“After a night cooling off in jail again, the B&B owner took pity on us and helped us escape a second time by dropping us off at 7.20am at Pen-y-Plas, where we were on the run again.

“We headed off cross country up the Pyg Track and two-and-a-half hours later we reached the top of Mount Snowdon.

“There was still some snow at the top of the mountain with 8ft deep cuttings through the snow where the rail line had been cleared.”

Christine, of Grange Hill, added: “We had a really great time, enjoyed the challenge and adventure and have managed to raise over �985 for the air ambulance.”

The pair thanked Festival Costumes for the free hire of the convict shirts, all the passing motorists who waved and encouraged them on their way, the 10 drivers who gave the pair lifts and all the people who have sponsored them.

For more information about the air ambulance trust, see the link, right