FOR most folk, a trip to the Isle of Wight might involve a day on the beach, an ice cream or two and maybe some fish and chips… But that’s not what got Lucy Briggs on the ferry.

The owner of Short, Bark ‘n’ Sides dog grooming and the daughter of one of North Dorset’s most enthusiastic beekeepers, Lucy had something altogether different in mind – the Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge – and she was doing it for the honey bees!

The Challenge is a gruelling 106km hike around the island. There’s magnificent scenery along the way, and Lucy says, “That’s one of the things that raised my spirits when the going was tough… and the most beautiful sunrise at 4am after the longest of nights.”

Lucy’s done other challenges in the past, but this was the most demanding by far. This time, she wanted to raise funds for the North Dorset Beekeepers (www.northdorsetbeekeepers.org.uk), who plan to build a honey bee centre near Blandford Forum. To date, her total is a magnificent £1,519.

Lucy says she felt utterly euphoric as she crossed the finish line after a total of 30 hours and 48 minutes, and then utterly wrecked a short while later! But it was worth it to help spread the word about the importance of bees in our world.

You can help too. If you’d like to add to Lucy’s total, there’s still time. Go to her JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-briggs8 and leave whatever you can. Lucy and all the beekeepers thank you for your support – and so do the bees!