GEARING UP for charity, a detective found he was very much in the dark when he decided to raise money for the When You Wish Upon A Star foundation.

But it wasn't long before DI Guy Hindle, of Halton Police, found his guiding light by running through the night alongside 28 other Cheshire officers to raise money for terminally ill children.

And joining him on his special mission, Peter Fahy, the chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary, also limbered up to complete a one-mile trek across the county - while carrying a police baton, which was passed from officer to officer.

The event - dubbed Operation: Run For a Child - comprised 50 police forces who each worked tirelessly to provide sick children with a foreign holiday or present of their choice.

The baton has made its way from Land's End to John O'Groats in aid of the good cause - covering a staggering total of 3,000 miles.

Runcorn-based DI Hindle said: 'Cheshire's leg was 29 miles from the Staffordshire border to North Wales overnight. That meant a start time of 11.30pm, and a finish time of 4.30am.

'But by 4.03am, the baton had been handed over to North Wales. 'At least £100 has been raised from each runner in Cheshire, with more than £3,000 locally and more than £100,000 nationally.'

Greater Manchester Police took on the mammoth task of organising the master plan for the event, and each force was then asked to provide an organiser of their own.

Operation: Run for a Child is the brainchild of Sergeant Tony Hughes of Greater Manchester Police, who organised his own sponsored run for When You Wish Upon a Star last year, and has since mobilised every police force in the country.

DI Hindle added: 'A big thanks goes to all who participated. If anyone would like to contribute to our fundraising efforts, it's not too late, so please get in touch.'