A CHARITY treasure hunt which sees teams navigate their way around the town centre in wheelchairs has been hailed a success.

Basingstoke and District Disability Forum (BDDF) hosted the Basingstoke Roll 2 event at the Top of The Town last Friday.

Eight teams, including staff from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Basing View-based AA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the Basingstoke Sports Centre took part in the challenge – raising over £3,200 for BDDF.

Those taking part were given the opportunity to decorate a wheelchair, which were donated by Basingstoke Shopmobility, and a member of each team had to be in a wheelchair at all times around the course to let them experience what accessibility is like in the town for wheelchair users.

The teams had to search for clues in shop windows and buildings across the town centre, including St Michael's Church, Santander, Starbucks, the Mayflower and Giraffe.

In addition, youngsters could get involved in a wheelchair art competition and a mini treasure hunt in a bid to win prizes donated by the Basingstoke Sports Centre and Sainsbury’s.

The first team to cross the finish line was from the AA, who completed the course in just 45 minutes, winning vouchers from Box hair salon.

The winners of the best dressed team for the second year in a row was Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council who won a meal for four and the best dressed wheelchair award went to the Basingstoke Sports Centre team who won vouchers from Wagamama.

The best overall performance accolade went to the team from AXA Wealth who came in the top three for every award.

Employees from the Sun Life of Canada also scooped the award for raising the most money after they pulled in an impressive £1,388.

Catherine McLeod, vice chair of BDDF, said: “The event was a huge success and is growing every year. What makes it so good is that while everyone is having great fun, it also raises awareness of accessibility and funds for a really good cause.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support of local companies and look forward to seeing even more of them next year.”