FIVE friends are preparing for their second gruelling walk in aid of a hospice – this time trekking from Edinburgh to Durham.

Steven Meikle, Andy Black, Mark Berriman, Mike Hay and Chris Mattison will set off from the Forth Road Bridge just outside of Edinburgh on Thursday, August 5.

They will then walk 220 miles until they reach St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Durham, five days later on Monday, August 9.

The route will go through Edinburgh, along North East coastal paths through Berwick upon Tweed, Newcastle and towards Sunderland then follow The Weardale Way to Durham.

With support crew on hand and family and friends joining them as guest walkers at various points to keep them motivated, they hope to walk up to 12 hours and 44 miles a day.

The route of Forth to St Suths

The route of Forth to St Suth's

Mr Meikle said: “It’s our second long walk in support of St Cuthbert’s.

“This one’s a longer distance, we have a couple of new team members and its set to be another big challenge for us all.

“Our average age is now 52, the aches and pains will definitely last a little longer but raising money for this amazing place makes it all worthwhile.”

In 2019 the team walked 170 miles around the boundary of County Durham and raised nearly £9,000 for the hospice.

The team has already clocked up more than 1,000 miles in training walks.

Mr Black said his wife recently lost a family member who had been cared for by staff at the hospice, who provided warmth and care during the most difficult of times making this walk even more poignant than the last.

St Cuthbert’s Hospice provides free specialist care to people with life-limiting illnesses, people approaching the end of life and the bereaved. It costs more than £2 million a year to run the hospice, most of which comes from charitable donations which have been greatly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jade McArdle, senior community and events fundraiser at St Cuthbert’s Hospice, said: “Steve and the team have been dedicated fundraisers for the hospice for many years and we can’t wait to follow their journey this summer.

"It is such an amazing challenge and we are so very proud and grateful to them for supporting us in this way. Good luck and happy hiking.”

To support the group’s challenge, visit their JustGiving page online at justgiving.com/fundraising/steven-meikle3

 

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