The director of an estate agency which operates across Norfolk and Suffolk has helped to raise over £10,000 for the Big C cancer charity after hiking a marathon in a day with friends and family.

Joanna McIntyre, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, took part in 'Marriott's Way - A Marathon Hike In A Day' on Saturday, May 14, along with friends and organisers Joanna Guyton and Rachel Hall, whose lives have also been affected by cancer.

The event led participants on a 26-mile walk from Aylsham in north Norfolk, to Dereham Road in Norwich, where the Big C's new centre is being built. The money will go towards the Big C's Woodland Garden project, which will provide a valuable outside space for cancer patients and families to visit.

Joanna, director of Musker McIntyre estate agents and a member of Norwich & District Association of Estate Agents, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November last year. She described the walk as the "most incredible day and very humbling."

“I just feel it is so important to be open about cancer as it affects so many people sadly,” she said. “The cancer charities all play a phenomenally important role when one is diagnosed and going through cancer treatment, and take some of the strain off the NHS – who of course are incredible.”

The Big C began building work at its new centre on Dereham Road in Norwich in July last year, and will deliver services in conjunction with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, as well as provide tranquil outdoor spaces for patients and families to visit.

To donate to Marriott’s Way – A Marathon Hike In A Day, visit justgiving.com/team/MarriottsWayTheBigC