Ian goes the distance for Rennie Grove

Ian Wainwright was moved to take on the epic challenge after our Hospice at Home nurses cared for his grandfather before he died last December. He is due to begin the walk on 1st May. Ian says:

“I started walking during lockdown and was keen to take on a big challenge. Walking took a backseat when my grandad was ill but after he died, it seemed right to take on a charity challenge in his memory.

“My grandad was active all his life, even doing press ups at the age of 90! The challenge of walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats seems like a fitting way to honour him while fundraising for the charity that cared for him towards the end of his life.

“I’ve taken a sabbatical from work to complete the challenge and have set aside 10-12 weeks to cover the distance. I’ll be starting the route with my sister who will join me for the first week, and other friends and relatives will join me for parts of the journey as I go.

“My plan for the route is to stitch together some of England and Scotland’s most beautiful long-distance footpaths. I am making my own way through Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, before picking up the Cotswolds Way in Bath. I will follow this to its end near Chipping Camden, then the Heart of England Way, going East of Birmingham.

“The Pennine Way will take me through my grandad’s home county, all the way to the Scottish borders.

“In Scotland I’ll take the John Muir Way and the West Highland Way before following the Great Glenn Way and the final stretch along the John O’Groats Trail. I expect to arrive by mid-late July.

“My focus now is on training and preparing my kitbag. I’m focusing on getting the weight of my kit as low as possible. I’ll be carrying everything I need to camp on the route, as well as my clothes and kit so it’s quite a challenge to whittle it all down!

“I’m proud to be fundraising for Rennie Grove. When my grandad was ill the charity’s nurses visited him at home to offer the care and support he needed. Without these visits at home, I think it’s unlikely that he would have been able to stay in his own home as he wished to. Rennie Grove was such a big support to our whole family that I’m delighted to be fundraising to ensure that other families can access the same kind of support when they need it.”

To find out more about Ian’s challenge or to sponsor his efforts, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/wainwrightwalksgb