THIS Moonwalk thing has caught on in a big way. We can't remember a time when so many busy Thornburians were prepared to give up a precious weekend to hoof 26 miles around the streets of London - at night, too, when the shops are closed.

Not that we ought to be surprised, of course. As good causes go, you can't get much better than the fight against breast cancer, a scourge which leaves few families untouched, directly or indirectly.

The walk has been going for a few years now and scores of local people, mostly women, have already raised thousands of pounds for research.

But this year it seems to have grabbed the imagination like never before and teams from all over town will be heading down the M4 tomorrow sporting decorated brassieres for the nocturnal hike around the metropolis.

Even the Thornbury Parish Church curate - a dedicated motorcyclist normally more at home on two wheels - has signed up. Good for him because it's a fact not always appreciated that breast cancer can strike men, too.

It's a fun occasion, of course - but that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park. Twenty six miles on unyielding pavements is asking a lot of even the fittest feet and Sunday morning chemists are sure to do brisk business in soothing balms.

To all the Thornbury district participants (and also those Tesco ladies running for Cancer Research in this Sunday's Race for Life on Clifton Downs - we say "best foot forward, enjoy yourselves, come home in one piece - and thank you".