MEMBERS of a women's organisation walked 18 miles alongside local midwives to raise money for a team which supports parents wishing to give birth at home.

Members of the Bridport Ladies Circle walked from Bridport to Dorchester to raise the money needed to provide the Cygnet Homebirth Team with emergency kit bags.

The group were joined by Emma and Gemma, two midwives from the Cygnet team - a dedicated team of experienced midwives who provide care to women choosing to birth their baby at home in west Dorset.

The walk was completed in the June sun on Saturday, and three of the members' children also took part, including Nora, who is only 11 weeks old.

Sophie Bide, a member of the Bridport Ladies Circle said: "It went really well, perfect weather. Nora and I managed 15 miles out of the total 18.

"The midwives explained how important the bags are and how they have four so far but won’t start using them until they have the four we are fundraising for so they can all have one. We’ve now reached 84 per cent of our target so we're nearly there."

Six of the eight participants were able to walk the entire 18 mile distance.

The Bridport Ladies Circle is a recently re-established group of women aged from 18 to 45 who want to raise money for local good causes.

The group is aiming to raise just under £3,000 so that the whole team is able to have their own bag. This will make things easier for the midwives, allowing them to standardise their practice as the kits are all laid out and organised in each bag in the same way.

Some of its members has had the Cygnet team support them through their own pregnancies and births, so therefore the cause they're supporting is very close to their hearts.

The team has currently raised around £2,800 with just under £200 left to raise for the group to meet its target.

If you are interested in joining the team, contact them on bridportladiescircle@gmail.com. To donate to their cause, visit their Crowdfunder page.