Gordon Brown's walk to aid water charity

FORMER Prime Minister Gordon Brown took part in an event yesterday to help raise funds to provide clean water supplies for poorer countries.

Brown and his wife Sarah joined a team of fund-raisers walking the Fife Coastal Path in his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency to raise money for the charity WaterAid.

The couple teamed up with walkers on the Dalgety Bay to Aberdour stretch of the Fife Coastal Path for the charity's Coast Along for WaterAid event.

Brown, who is currently working on his memoirs at his home in North Queensferry, said: "Taking part in Coast Along was a great opportunity to raise awareness of WaterAid's important work to help some of the world's poorest communities gain access to safe water and in particular sanitation, which is so crucial to the health of billions around the world.

"It's unacceptable that in this day and age some 2.6 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation, and 884 million do not have safe water.

"As well as causing millions of entirely preventable deaths, particularly among children, the lack of safe sanitation and water keeps families, communities and nations trapped in poverty."

Teams of sponsored walkers took part in the event throughout Scotland, England and Wales.

Money raised will help WaterAid improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. A WaterAid spokeswoman said the Browns will be attending the UN Millennium Development Goals summit in New York later this month where water and sanitation will be key issues.

She said the goal of halving the proportion of people living without access to sanitation is already 30 years behind target.