FUNDRAISERS took a New Year’s Day stroll along Colchester’s Roman Wall all in aid of charity.

In total 47 people joined Colchester High Steward Sir Bob Russell’s 11th annual new year stroll.

Each person was asked to make a £5 donation to charity.

Those taking part raised £235 for the Colchester Soup Run which provides hot drinks and food for many of the town’s homeless.

The ‘Roam around Colchester’s Roman City Walls’ saw the group spend two hours walking along the two miles of wall.

At various points along the route the group stopped to enable Sir Bob to describe various aspects of the wall’s history going back nearly 2,000 years.

The walk started at Balkerne Gate, the oldest surviving Roman arch in Britain, and followed it through the town before finishing with a steep climb up Balkerne Hill.

Sir Bob is organising a number of walks in 2019 to raise money for a statue of Taylor sisters Jane and Ann.

Jane was the author of nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star which she wrote in Colchester in 1806.

The first walk is on Sunday February 3 at 10am from the Arts Centre.

Sir Bob has three separate walks, and this one will be Tour “X” which is about the town’s rich Roman heritage including the remains of the Roman Christian Church and site of Britain’s only chariot racing circus.