Mental health lecturer Dr Tony Gill is planning to walk 27 miles a day for 7 days to raise vital funds for his three chosen charities.
Tony, from Settle in North Yorkshire, aims to raise much needed funds for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Start Inspiring Minds, who have all lost out on vital donations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the 29 May 2021, Tony will kick off the challenge from Lancaster, walking over a marathon a day and finishing at Bishop street basin in Coventry 7 days later.
Tony, who is also manager of Burley trojans ladies football club, said: “It’s been over 12 months since we entered lockdown and it’s been a very difficult time for many, especially those with mental health conditions and life debilitating illness such as MND and those that require Palliative/Hospice Care.
“On my birthday last year, I sat on my bike and cycled 100 miles, to help others. This year I intend to raise awareness and funds again for three charities, and the intention is to walk along the canal from Lancaster to Coventry in 7 days.
“As a mental health lecturer at the University of Salford I thought it was appropriate to help local charities that provide support and help for a range of mental health conditions.
“When working as a CQC inspector, I saw first-hand the amazing work that Manorlands does, both at the hospice and in the community. It was a truly humbling experience that showed me how compassion, empathy and care can be given to those at the end stages of their life.
“These people rely on donations and volunteers to help them maintain a good quality of life, and now Manorlands faces an uncertain future. So, this is my attempt to help, to make sure Manorlands doesn’t close, so that people still have those nurses, so that future nurses can evolve and support people and learn from those.
“Having spoken to Bernie at Start Inspiring Minds, the charity president, it was clear that this was another very worthwhile cause to help raise funds for and hopefully help improve the quality of lives of individuals.
“I think the need to help people with their mental health is paramount and also to raise awareness, the mental health team at Salford is a fantastic team and do a lot of positive work in the community, so it made sense to support a local charity.
“My third charity is the motor neurone charity, MND. Motor neurone disease is a silent illness which strikes those who least expect it, like my mentor who inspired me to be the best I could be and achieve a PhD. Without his inspiration I would not be who I am today.
“So, in this time of social isolation, in this time of lockdown and in this time of struggle for Manorlands, Start Inspiring Minds and MND, I’ve set myself the challenge to walk 192 miles from Lancaster to Coventry.
“If you feel that you could sponsor me then you can do this on the link below. Help me to help others who can’t help themselves and let’s make a difference to them.”
Tony will be keeping everyone updated with his progress throughout the week and to see how he is getting on you follow him on Twitter at @rightmind16.
To donate you can visit Tony’s fundraising pages below:
