FORMER cricket star Ian Botham's Valleys Walk raised £430,000 for the Noah's Ark Appeal.

Beefy completed his Valleys Walk to raise money for the new Children's Hospital for Wales when he arrived back at Newport Rugby Club on the afternoon of October 11.

His gruelling 210-mile trek took nine days and included Chepstow, Monmouth, Abergavenny, Pontypool, Blaenavon, Ebbw Vale, Blackwood, Newbridge, Caerleon and Newport.

Hundreds of sponsored walkers joined in the grand finale, a lap of Newport city centre, where spectators thronged the streets to wish Ian well.

Suzanne Mainwaring, appeal director, said: "This is a magnificent achievement by Ian and his crew and by everyone involved. The appeal staff worked tirelessly for many months to make the event a huge success.

Ian was accompanied on each leg by sponsored walkers, sometimes as many as ten, all of whom had raised a minimum of £1,000 to take part in a wonderful effort.

"Thousands of people turned out to support Ian and make donations to the appeal. We are very grateful to every one of them."

The appeal needs to raise the £1.5 million to provide state-of-the-art equipment for the new hospital.

Ian was helped along the way by a host of celebrity supporters, including appeal patron Charlotte Church, cricketers Mike Gatting, Matthew Maynard and Robert Croft, athletes Daley Thompson, Lyn Davies and Tanni Grey- Thompson, musician Rick Wakeman, and Big Brother's Helen Adams.

Ieuan Evans, Percy Montgomery, Mike Hall, Rupert Moon and JPR Williams were rugby's representatives.