A North East man overcame extreme heat and painful blisters to complete a 385 mile walk to raise funds for people experiencing homelessness.
Philip Le Marquand, a supporter of Oasis Community Housing, arrived in Gateshead on Friday, October 13, five weeks after setting off from Peckham in South London.
Mr Le Marquand arrived at Oasis Community Housing's Basis Gateshead Homeless drop-in to a warm welcome from project staff, friends and family.
He plotted his route using the online walking tool SlowWays which encourages users to walk unused footpaths and engage in more leisurely walks. Often this doesn’t mean walking the fastest route.
At the beginning and end of his journey, Mr Le Marquand received a warm send–off and welcome from project staff - but for much of the walk he was alone, keeping his spirits high by sending regular updates to, and engaging with, the small community of people who had a keen interest in the walk.
Mr Le Marquand, from Gateshead, said: "When I thought about it, I hadn’t realised that this was a wonderful thing.
"It was when I started in Peckham, then I suddenly realised that how people thought this was such a great thing to do. I was thinking it was just a walk.
"It’s been marvellous to get the support all the way through."
While there were several positive moments during the journey, the walk was far from easy. He faced his most significant obstacles during the first week-and-a-half.
He said: "I think the most challenging part of the walk was at the beginning with the heat wave and I’d got the wrong shoes to start with.
"Between the hot weather and the blisters, that was the lowest point and the most challenging point."
Mr Le Marquand says he had to push through on the more difficult days, adding: "What got me through was the knowledge that I was doing it for Oasis Community Housing. The whole point of it was to raise people’s awareness of homelessness.
"It’s such a brilliant organisation. I mean, every time I see and visit a project I am blown away by the commitment, the professionalism and the dedication of all the workers.
"It feels to me like it’s the organisation which looks after the person, rather than just providing a house."
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As well as providing temporary and supported accommodation, Oasis Community Housing works with people through their trauma offering support for men and women who have experienced domestic abuse, crisis support, among other services aimed at relieving the burden of homelessness.
Staff at the Basis Gateshead homeless drop-in project organised a welcome party to congratulate Mr Le Marquand on his incredible achievement.
Through completing this extraordinary challenge, he has raised £1,510 to support people experiencing homelessness.
- People can still donate by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/page/philip-le-marquand-london2gateshead
- Anyone wishing to take on a fundraising challenge on behalf of Oasis Community Housing and contact Joanne Armstrong at joanne.armstrong@oasiscommunityhousing.org
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