Mountain rescuers are quids in after an ex-police chief’s mammoth trek round his beat.

Former Chief Constable of Derbyshire David Coleman walked the length of his county to mark his retirement – and raised £31,500. The Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation is one of five charities that will benefit from his effort.

Mr Coleman’s Chief on the Beat walk covered more than 150 miles and involved visiting every police station in the county. He was joined on the venture by past and present colleagues.

He said: “I set out last summer on what I initially thought was a crazy idea to walk 150 miles around Derbyshire.

“In the event, Chief on the Beat proved to be an outstanding success in many ways, and we all had a fantastic time walking the length and breadth of our beautiful county, raising money for five local charities.

“I am delighted to be able to share more than £31,000 between the charities, which is great credit to my team, to all those who took part and raised sponsorship, and to the generosity of our local communities.

“I know that the five charities are constantly in need of funding to continue their work, and they will make excellent use of the funds. On their behalf I would like to express my deep gratitude to all who contributed.”

The other beneficiaries, who received their cheques at Derbyshire Constabulary’s Ripley headquarters, were Sporting Futures, Derbyshire Community Foundation, Derbyshire Association for the Blind and Umbrella.

Mr Coleman stepped down as Chief Constable at the end of September last year, after six years at the head of the force.

Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation is the umbrella association for the area’s seven mountain rescue teams, Derbyshire Cave Rescue and the Peak Search and Rescue Dogs Association.