Shropshire Way non-stop 120-mile challenge.

ABOUT ME. My name is Grant and I am Centre Manager of the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre. I’m no fitness fanatic, but I do enjoy the outdoors and have always been a keen walker. About 12 years ago, I entered the Longmynd Hike, covering 50 miles of hilly trails and my love for ultra-distance running grew from there. I have since completed fifteen 50-mile challenges, five 100-milers as well as Offa’s Dyke Path and the Pennine Way. When I heard about the new Shropshire Way route, I knew it was a must for me and the idea of the non-stop challenge was born.

WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE? The challenge is to run the entire 120 mile (200km) southern loop of the new Shropshire Way route non-stop and unsupported in 40 hours, keeping an average speed on the ground of 3mph. I will be leaving the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre at 17.00 on Friday, June 5th and aim to complete before 11.00 on Sunday, June 7th.. The challenge will involve two consecutive nights without sleep, over 5000 metres of ascent and the consumption of 20000 calories!

By taking on this challenge, I aim to raise £10000 to create a new wetland area and bird hide in our bottom meadow, and to promote the wonderful new Shropshire Way route.

ABOUT OUR CHARITY I am privileged to work for the Grow Cook Learn charity which runs the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms, surrounded by the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The charity connects people to the food, history and landscape of the area in many different ways: through its education programme which teaches over 3000 school children annually, its events programme and through the promotion of local food producers in our café and shop. We also signpost the many visitors who pass through our doors to the myriad opportunities to explore the natural world around them. We manage the 30-acre Onny Meadows, providing free public access to traditional hay meadow, coppice woodland, river and ponds. These varied habitats offer a home for a huge amount of wildlife, but we want to do more. Wetland habitat is scarce locally and under threat globally, so we want to create a wildlife haven in our corner of Shropshire, teaching children, naturalists and visitors about the wildlife around them.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? I hope to raise funds by attracting sponsorship from businesses and the general public who feel that they would like to support the project. I am asking the public to sponsor me via my just giving page and businesses can sponsor me for £100.00 in return for which, I will carry their logo and support their business in all the media exposure the challenge will obtain. If any businesses are interested in becoming the overall event sponsor, I would love to hear from you.

The challenge will be promoted jointly by the Discovery Centre and the Shropshire Way Association, with press-releases going out to local press and radio, regional TV networks, walking, trail running and tourist magazines as well as through our own networks and social media platforms.

If you would like to learn more about the project, please contact me at grant.wilson@growcooklearn.co.uk or give me a call on 01588 676060 and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. To learn more about the new Shropshire Way, please visit https://shropshireway.org.uk/