A PETERSFIELD woman is keeping her fingers – and toes – crossed that her walking group will feature on a flagship BBC show this weekend.

Malinka van der Gaauw and her Petersfield Walking Festival chums recently chatted with Countryfile presenter John Craven on Zoom.

The group chatted with the former Newsround presenter after taking part in the BBC’s Children in Need Ramble.

But they face a nervous wait to see if the interview will be broadcasted on this Sunday’s Countryfile as the walking group was one of six chosen nationally for an interview.

It might come down to how much money the PWF has raised for Children in Need with the figure currently in excess of £500.

“The group was very excited and a lot of us had grown up with John Craven when he hosted a children’s news programme called Newsround,” said Malinka, who founded the PWF.

“I used to be a political risk analyst and I did a degree in Southeast Asian studies in Malay language.

“I did that because the very first thing that interested me in current affairs was John Craven’s Newsround so it was like meeting my hero.”

Malinka said she is proud of the group’s fundraising exploits with around 20 people taking part in the October Ramble around Selborne and Blackmoor.

She said: “There’s names on there that I don’t know from walks so it has gone out to the wider community which is great and really nice to see.”

Be sure to watch Countryfile on BBC One from 6.15pm this Sunday to see if the Petersfield Walking Festival is featured.

To make a donation look for Petersfield Walking Festival at www.justgiving.com and for more details about the group and their programme of walks visit www.petersfieldwalkingfestival.co.uk