A man from Lancashire has embarked on a mammoth walking challenge to raise money for Blackpool RNLI.
David Wall, from Poulton-Le-Fylde, is walking the virtual equivalent of Lands End to John O’Groats, which are the two extremities of the island of Great Britain.
While he won't be walking the actual route, he will be hiking the equivalent around his hometown and other parts of the north west.
By the end March, he hopes to have walked a whopping 874 miles in total.
David, 75, was hoping to have taken on the actual Lands End to John O’Groats route but said Covid restrictions made this too difficult.
He said: “Before Covid struck I actually wanted to walk the actual route from Lands End to John O’Groates but every time I planned to do anything it got complicated.
“Due to Covid, campsites closed and accommodation became unavailable but then I discovered a company which facilitates walking the equivalent of the route locally so I used that instead.”
Since starting the challenge on New Year’s Day, David has clocked in an impressive 284 miles by walking on various hikes and walks around Lancashire and Cumbria; if walking the actual route this would have placed him near Birmingham in the West Midlands.
Since retiring 10 years ago, David has become an avid walker and says he needs to walk at least 7.5 miles per day in order to meet his deadline.
He said: “I’ve always done a lot of walking. I’m retired now so it is just a matter of keeping healthy.”
So far he has raise £470 for Blackpool RNLI, a charity that is close to his heart.
He said: “I used to have businesses on the promenade at Blackpool which were near the lifeboat station.
“I got to know quite a lot of the crew and I could see just how much work the volunteers do.
“The fundraising is an appreciation for all they do and how much sacrifice the volunteers make.”
If you would like to donate to David then visit his Just Giving page. Keep up-to-date with his progress over on his Facebook group, Fundraising to aid Blackpool RNLI.
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