This summer, I will be walking from Land’s End to John o’ Groats to raise money for two charities, Severn Hospice and Heartburn Cancer UK. It is a journey of over 1000 miles on foot and as I aim to walk some 20 miles per day with rest days included it is likely to take me approximately two and half months; I hope to arrive at John o’ Groats by the end of July.

To maximise the sums raised, I am anticipating the further physical challenge of ‘sleeping out’ in a bivvy bag rather than staying in B&Bs or hotels, although I also hope that friends might occasionally be able to offer me a bed en route.

I will set off from the start line at Land’s End in mid-May and will be travelling light, solo and will be largely unsupported, but would love friends and family to walk with me at various stages along the way if they’re up for the challenge!

As well as (hopefully) making a donation on this page, you can also follow me on Instagram on @tobiaswalks to keep updated with my progress.

I am fundraising to support the extraordinary work and campaigning of two charities who gave such support to the families of two of my oldest friends whose late fathers were diagnosed with cancer in recent years; these charities are Severn Hospice and Heartburn Cancer UK.

Both of my friends’ fathers had served in the military (in the Grenadier Guards and Royal Marines) and maintained a love of physical endurance even after they had retired. It therefore seemed only right for me to attempt a particularly demanding feat in their memory and to raise funds for such terrific charities.

The aim of this walk is two-fold, namely to raise funds to enable both charities to continue their excellent work and also to support a national project to improve the early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.

The Severn Hospice is a Shropshire-based charity that absolutely delivers its vision of ‘caring for people at the end of their life as well as they were at its beginning’, involving an inspirational degree of wrap-around humanity, kindness and care not only for their patients but also for their patients’ families. Giles Inglis-Jones’ family say that they cannot imagine how they would have managed without them.

Heartburn Cancer UK exists to raise awareness about the dangers of persistent heartburn, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and Barrett’s oesophagus which can lead to oesophageal cancer. The quick and simple cytosponge test, developed by the University of Cambridge, is currently an NHS pilot using mobile diagnostic units run by Heartburn Cancer UK. Oesophageal cancer is the 4th most common cause of cancer deaths in men in the UK and I hope that many who read about my journey will be prompted not only to make a donation but also, if they have persistent heartburn, to speak to their GP about taking the cytosponge test. The UK has the worst survival record in Europe and the developed world for oesophageal cancer; earlier diagnosis will help to change this.

Thank you for taking the time to read about why I’ve undertaken this challenge. I hope that you’re able to donate to these great causes!