Nine charities are better off to the tune of $250,000 after a record number of people took part in this year’s End-to-End charity walk.And at an awards ceremony at the Elbow Beach Hotel last night, some of the 2,700 walkers who trekked the length of the Island last month were recognised for their fundraising efforts.End-to-End Charitable Trust Chairman Anne Mello revealed that the amount raised far exceeded the organisation’s original estimates.And as a result, she was able to contact the nine charities today and inform them that their donation would be doubled.“It was a very gloomy time when we sat down in November to start our deliberations for this year’s event,” Ms Mello said.“We looked at the economy and also the fact that last year had been our anniversary year, and so we thought maybe we should be really conservative with our grant amounts because we really didn’t expect to have an amazingly successful year.“So we went into this year’s event very cautiously, and with all these gloomy doomy things around, guess what happened? We had an absolutely amazing year — it was awesome, it was an absolute blast.”“Our 26th event was again a testament of how Bermuda can pull together to give back to the community,” said Anne Mello, chairman of the End-to-End Charitable Trust, which organises the annual event.“It is inspiring to consider what has been achieved by our more than 2,700 participants with their amazing fundraising efforts. We acknowledge that the successful outcome of the event is also due to the work of our 500-plus volunteers and to the incredible support given to us by our Title Sponsor, Catlin Bermuda, our Platinum Sponsor CellOne, and all of the other organisations who offer their assistance.”Before cheques were presented to the nine charities, a host of awards were presented to outstanding fundraisers and volunteers who had made the event such a success.Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva accepted the 2013 Founder’s Trophy on behalf of the Police Service, which was praised for ensuring that walk passed off without incident.“This year the Bermuda Police Service was just on top of every single aspect of safety and they were proactive in areas that we didn’t even ask for,” Ms Mello said.The Bermuda Nursing Association was named Volunteer of the Year, while Berkeley Academy picked up the Top School Award for the largest number of students to take part.And First Atlantic Commerce and Friends was named Team of the Year after its members completed the walk dressed in chicken outfits — raising a massive $20,000. Team member Keith Griffin was the top individual fundraiser, collecting $7,000 single-handedly.Health Minister Pat Gordon Pamplin presented some of the awards and praised End-to-End organisers and their sponsors for raising essential funds.“Without these donations, some of those charities would find themselves in particularly difficult financial times,” she said.The Minister raised a cheer after she revealed that, as part of an OBA relay team, she had been tasked with carrying the baton through her Paget constituency — but ended up completing the remaining 17 miles of the walk.“I just kept on going and kept on going, and before I knew it, I was walking into Dockyard,” Ms Gordon-Pamplin said.Four charities — The Adult Education Centre, The Coalition for the Protection of Children, Greenrock, and The Reading Clinic — were each given cheques for $40,000 at yesterday’s ceremony. Another four organisations — SCARS, The Family Centre, Westmeath, and Windreach — all picked up cheques for $20,000. Another donation of $10,000 was made to the Women’s Resource Centre, while the Trust will distribute the remaining $10,000 in the form of grants.