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The Christmas campaign is inspired by the catchy Christmas carol 12 Days of Christmas.

A group of kind-hearted women are aiming to walk one dozen miles in December to raise funds for Peterborough Women’s Aid.

The group of more than 20 women will begin their epic ‘12 Miles of Christmas’ trek in Peterborough city centre at 10am on Saturday, 3 December.

From their starting point at the Cathedral, the group will head west toward Orton Mere and then do two laps around Ferry Meadows before heading back to the Cathedral.

Maria Thomas with fellow '12 Miles of Christmas' walker Georgia Jones.

All in all, the trek should take about five hours.

Maria Thomas is one of the key driving forces behind the ‘12 Miles of Christmas.’

She told the Peterborough Telegraph her team wanted to raise money “so that the ladies in the [Peterborough Women’s] Refuge, and the children, can have a nice Christmas.”

She added: “They’ve got enough to worry about without worrying about Christmas.”

Zoe Harris, pictured outside Peterborough Cathedral, planned the 12-mile route for the '12 Miles of Christmas' fundraising walk for Women's Aid.

The idea for helping the refuge came through Maria’s involvement with Atiq Rehman’s recent GoodDeeds24 initiative, a hugely successful and somewhat unique fundraising project which helped many charities, both locally and further afield.

While her husband Andy helped GoodDeeds24 tackle issues with homelessness, “I focused on the women’s aid,” Maria explained.

“I got talking to the ladies [at the refuge] and I realised how underfunded they are.”

Formed in 1975, Peterborough Women’s Aid provides safe and secure accommodation for women and children escaping domestic abuse.

It also offers advice line and outreach services.

Maria and her team have already got a host of local businesses to sponsor the walk.

The hope is that the group will raise enough in sponsorship and donations to hit the £3,000 target they’re aiming for.

Working with partners, sponsors and generous individuals, Maria and her team have already achieved a great deal in raising both funds and awareness.

However, the group is still in need of assistance:

“We are still taking sponsors,” Maria said, “and we are also looking for a local printing company to help with the event, and also maybe refreshment companies to be at certain mile points.”

Any individuals or organisations that would like to help the ‘12 Miles of Christmas’ can call 07305 766520.

Fundraising Peterborough walkers to help domestic abuse victims by taking on 12 mile trek for Women's Aid