Thank you so much to everyone who has donated! Raising over £1000 is incredible, and will help change the lives of those less fortunate than us.

Starting on the 13th of June, I attempted to run/walk across the width of southern England, covering 261km from the Bristol channel to the Thames barrier in London. Unfortunately I got COVID on the second day and felt ill on day 3 so set myself a new target of getting to Reading, which I managed to achieve. This meant I covered just over 100 miles/160km over 3 days, and I feel quite proud of myself that I managed to make it that far whilst having COVID! I plan to finish off the rest of the route in July over a couple of days.

10/08/2024 UPDATE: Last Saturday (3rd August) I finally made it to the finish line!!

My original route took me more directly into and through London, but as I now had no time constraint and had more time to rest, I decided to follow the Thames Path from Reading to the end so I could get a bit closer to achieving my long-term goal of walking all the National Trails in the UK. This did make my route much longer, however, meaning I had another 160km / 100 miles to go.

I set off from Reading at 4:40am on Saturday 20th July and covered a very satisfying 88.88km (55 miles) which is the furthest I have walked in a day. I then finished off the remaining 72km (45 miles) two weeks later on Saturday 3rd August, making it to the Thames Barrier at exactly 7pm. It felt very rewarding to have finally made it to the end. Even though it wasn't quite the way I had planned to finish my challenge, I'm glad I finished it off.

For most of my route I ran alongside waterways, from the River Avon, to the Kennet and Avon canal, and finishing along the Thames. Water Aid therefore seemed a very appropriate charity to raise money for, and it is a charity I am passionate about, for clean water is something many of us take for granted, but for millions less fortunate than us it not as simple as turning on a tap! Water Aid is a charity which really makes a difference to the lives of the people who need it most.

WaterAid is an international not-for-profit, determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. Only by tackling these three essentials in ways that last can people change their lives for good.

Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene should be a normal part of everyone’s daily life. Without all three, people can’t live dignified, healthy lives. With all three, they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good.