A sergeant major has raised thousands of dollars for charity by braving wind and rain to walk around Bermuda non-stop for 24 hours. Marilyn Steede collected $3,555 for the Salvation Army Corps with her eighth annual walkathon — and is now compiling a book about her experiences over the years.

Ms Steede, former chief clerk at Bermuda Regiment and the only woman to have reached the rank of sergeant major in the Island's part-time army, told The Royal Gazette: "I walked for a total of 90.5 miles. My rain coat was in and out of the pack because it rained so much.

"My first step was in the pouring rain and I got soaking wet countless times during the walk. Sometimes the rain was so hard that I could hardly see and the wind was so strong at times that I was propelled by it blowing me."

And it wasn't just the weather that made this year's walk, on March 27, especially tough.

Ms Steede, a former UBP election candidate, said: "The charity could not provide me with any escort drivers, therefore I had to carry my water, sandwiches and snacks and my just-in-case first-aid items on my back. The pack got lighter as the amount of drinking water decreased.

"It was very uncomfortable and cumbersome for me this year. I probably would have walked more miles had I not been carrying the extra weight. I had to call a few friends at the last minute to see if they could be my protection during the dark hours."

She admitted the total amount collected each year keeps falling but added: "That does not dampen my desire to help our community. I have a lot of repeat 'every year' donors from the very first walk.

"I have started composing a book — a record — of the 24-hour walkathon from its inception."