A north Wales woman is walking from one end of the country to the other to raise funds for a premature baby charity.

Sally Williams will begin her 400-mile coastal trek from Prestatyn on Friday and and hopes to finish in Cardiff 17 days later.

All I'll be having with me will be my trusty umbrella and some money

Walker, Sally Williams

Walking alone, the 52-year-old is hoping to trek an average of 20 miles per day and will be flanked by teams of collectors who will meet her along the way.

The money will go to the charity BLISS which funds 'state of the art' life saving equipment for all special care neonatal units in the UK.

Mrs Williams said she had a difficult time choosing a charity.

"I decided I wanted to raise money for special care units in hospitals and we phoned the local hospital and asked them if they had a fund.

The money will help care for premature babies

"They didn't, which left me in a quandary as I felt I couldn't approach the public and ask for money if I hadn't got a particular cause."

She decided on Bliss after reading an article about the organisation.

The charity was formed 20 years ago by parents concerned about the lack of resources in the UK for babies needing special care.

Bliss is now one of the leading national charity's concerned with the care of premature babies.

Serious

The organisation is funded entirely through public donations.

Mrs Williams, from Llanynys in Denbighshire, has taken her task seriously.

"We've plotted out the route so it's all divided up with reasonable amounts of walking time, which I can cope with," she said.

"All I'll be having with me will be my trusty umbrella and some money."

Strolling

The keen walker has been practising by walking an average of 130 miles a week.

She admited she enjoys the peace and quiet of taking a stroll: "I prefer to be out in the countryside thinking my own thoughts, to me walking is a solitary thing."

Her husband will meet her at every designated stop and will take care of her belongings and clothes for the journey.