It wasn't only Oxford youth club members who went that extra mile to raise money for charities and other good causes.

One reader remembered the glorious occasion above when the people of Charlbury, near Witney, turned out to honour 20 hardy youngsters who tackled a 68-mile hike.

They faced a tough challenge trekking from Shepherds Bush in London to their home town in 1963.

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Not all of them completed the 24-hour journey – the hot summer weather, blistered feet and tired and aching muscles took their toll, forcing 11 of them to give up before the finish.

But the nine who did finish insisted that the 11 who didn’t should join them at a post-walk ceremony and be in the picture above.

More than 200 townspeople paid their own tribute by turning out to greet them.

As the town council chairman, Mr T Lynes, said: “If the Queen had come to Charlbury, she could not have had a better reception.”

The walkers were all members of Charlbury Youth Club and all the money they raised went to cancer research.

Cancer Research UK was formed 20 years ago, in 2002.

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However, its history goes back much further, to 1902, with the founding of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

Thanks to supporters its pioneering work into how to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer has benefitted millions of lives over the past 120 years.

Over the last 40 years, cancer survival in the UK has doubled.

For more information about the charity visit the website cancerresearchuk.org

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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