A FORMER homeless man, who ended up living in a cemetery toilet block, is set to walk 240 miles to thank the campaigners who helped him turn his life around.

Fifty-seven year-old Ashley Parkinson had nearly given up hope when a volunteer from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in Clitheroe invited him along to one of their regular coffee mornings.

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The Clitheroe native had ended up on the streets after his leaflet distribution business went under, and his hopes of Christmas relief work as a postie were dashed.

But today, around two years on from the night when Ashley quietly asked God for a little helping hand, he has secured a home in the Waterloo Road area and has a fresh sense of purpose.

One of his old friends, whose life had been turned around by CAP, recommended he give them a try and the former Ribblesdale High student has not looked back since he contacted them.

He said: “I didn’t see how they could help me, this bunch of Christians, but they were all welcoming and non-judgmental.

“I couldn’t believe that these people who I once would have sneered at could be so friendly.

“The love and kindness they showed me drove me onwards,” he said.

An extra helping hand from his old boss Roger Hirst, his superintendent when he worked for the borough’s parks department, has also assisted in his recovery, including an introduction to the local food bank, and he is now a regular at the town’s St James’ Church.

Now he will set off from Clitheroe Castle on Saturday, at 9am, aiming to reach Westminster Abbey via 18 stop-offs, mostly at CAP centres, to repay his supporters’ kindness.

Ashley said: “I feel this is a chance to make people aware of what it’s like to be homeless, to go without food, and to show people that it’s unacceptable.

“I’m doing it for four groups of people, those who are homeless, those who are hungry, those who are suffering with debt, and finally for all the people who have helped me out of my predicament.”

Ashley is keen for Lancashire Telegraph readers to join him on the initial legs of his journey, from Clitheroe to Blackburn, then Blackburn to Radcliffe.

To donate to his cause online visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ashleys-walk.