A GROUP of Southampton women have marked the tenth anniversary of Anti-Slavery Day by completing a gruelling 100k challenge.
Three runners and a cyclist undertook a 10k journey every day for ten days to raise funds for a charity that helps female victims of modern-day slavery and trafficking.
Three of the women - Sophie-Rose Holt, 26, Lindsay Stroh, 33, and Katie Hall, 25, completed the challenge by doing the last run together.
They were accompanied by Sophie-Rose's mum, Sue Holt, 54, who was taking part in her first 10k.
They set off from the Chilworth Arms pub in Chilworth and took just over an hour to complete the journey to Mayflower Park, Southampton.
Their route through the city included Palmerston Park, named after the Victorian Prime Minister who led Britain's crusade against the slave trade.
They also ran past the Tudor House Museum, which has staged an exhibition highlighting the city's contribution to the campaign.
Sophie-Rose said: "We decided to complete a 10k a day for ten days to raise awareness of past and present slavery as well as raising money to support survivors of slavery and human trafficking.
"We started in Chilworth, went through Southampton Common and down to Viscount Palmerston’s statue in Palmerston Park, then went via the Tudor House before finishing near the docks, from where slave trading ships may have departed."
The fourth member of the fundraising quartet, Fia Gosling, 30, also completed the challenge but was unable to join the others in Mayflower Park.
They have already raised more than £2,400 for Her Equality Rights and Autonomy (HERA), which promotes awareness of modern slavery.
The London-based charity provides business and entrepreneurial training to women survivors of slavery, trafficking and exploitation.
It runs a three-week training course every year to provide survivors with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve financial independence.
Each student is paired with a personal mentor who helps them over a 12-month period, and longer if necessary, in their professional and personal development.
HERA also runs monthly booster workshops to help develop people a variety of skills.
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