A Llandrindod Wells woman has hit the road for a mammoth walk in aid of community projects across the country.

Jude Boutle set off from Morecambe in Lancashire, England live on the BBC's One Show on Wednesday, May 16, embarking on a three week hike which will take her the length of Wales before returning to Llandrindod on June 3.

The annual event, which is called the Big Walk and is organised by the Eden Project, sees four teams of walkers embarking on an epic journey to the four corners of the UK, visiting different projects and community groups along the way that are making a real difference to their communities.

Organisers say each walker has been hand-selected to take part, based on their "passion for better connected communities", and 56-year-old Jude was selected for the task due to her' overwhelming community spirit'.

"What I’m incredibly excited about is visiting all these different communities and the wonderful projects that are going on in each place, and getting to meet the people who give up their time to make them work," she said.

"There are unsung heroes across Wales who volunteer and work very hard each day to make their communities better by bringing people together. I feel privileged that I’ve been chosen for this role because it means that I’m going to have the opportunity to meet so many of them.”

The National Lottery funded walk will take her first to Flintshire before heading down the Anglo-Welsh border, then to Cardiff and Swansea before turning for an eventual homecoming event called The Big Lunch in Llandrindod Wells on June 3.

A series of simultaneous events will be taking place across the country with the aim of bringing communities together.

Joe Ferns, Director of Funding at the Big Lottery Fund, said: "Jude is playing an important role in helping us to celebrate and showcase the great things people are doing within their communities each and every day.

"The Big Walk and The Big Lunch bring people together and shine a light on fantastic community projects - many of which are National Lottery-funded - that are making a real difference to people’s lives across the UK. We’re proud to support them and hope to inspire many more to build the

friendships and connections that help make communities thrive."

Last year 9.3 million people attended over 96,000 Big Lunch events across the UK. The Llandrindod event will take place at 11am at Temple Gardens on June 3.