A dedicated fundraiser has walked 29 miles in 12 hours to raise funds for a cause close to his heart.
David Plant, Fundraising Manager at Secret World Wildlife Rescue, has completed his epic walking challenge by visiting all three of SWWR’s charity shops on foot.
He sets himself a challenge every year around his birthday, and for 2023 he chose the big walk.
Covering just over 29 miles around Somerset, he started on Cheapside in Langport, braving a few hills on the way to the charity’s store on Glastonbury High Street.
After a break there, he headed west towards SWWR’s centre near Highbridge, then continued onto Burnham-On-Sea, where he was welcomed at the charity’s shop on the high street.
Through the generous support of the charity’s donors, plus his friends and family, he has raised £3,396 at the time of writing.
David told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I chose this ambitious challenge as I wanted to do something genuinely challenging this year. I like walking but don’t do any real exercise, and have never walked this far before, so I knew it would be a difficult one.”
”I tried to train for it but gave myself shin splints (further proof I’m allergic to exercise!) so had to take it easy for the 6 weeks before the big day.”
”All in all, I was on the road for just under 12 hours on a warm and sunny day. The last 10 miles were a real challenge, but I just kept thinking about everyone’s messages of support and the animals we were helping together. I suffered, but it’s nothing compared to what sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals must endure, often because of human interaction.”
“The total I raised is astonishing. I started out with a modest target of £500, but the donations just kept coming in. Thank you to everyone who got behind me, especially those who were watching me on the live tracker. It got a little lonely at times, but it helped knowing you were all encouraging me to keep going.”
David’s JustGiving page is still open and it’s not too late to sponsor him: https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-plant-2023-charity-shop-walk
