Former soldier from Bamber Bridge walks 85 miles for St Catherine's Hospice

A former soldier has walked 85 miles in under 24 hours to support St Catherine’s Hospice.
Danny MckayDanny Mckay
Danny Mckay

Danny Mckay, of Bamber Bridge, completed the Isle of Man Parish Walk, raising £1,071 for the Lostock Hall hospice.

He says he chose the St Catherine’s Hospice because: “they provide essential end of life care for our wider community.” He exceeded his fund-raising goal, and completed the walk in 22 hours 58 minutes despite 6,000ft of ascent.

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The 34-year-old, who works for Spriteprime in Leyland, on behalf of BT Utilities, said: “The heat and sun definitely drained energy as the day unfolded, with the race leader and record holder having to retire early, but the support from the locals certainly helped.“The last 10 miles was pure graft with blisters, sore knees, and swollen feet, but seeing the finish line in Douglas and finally crossing was a relief.”

“I want to thank my friend Glen Kitchen, an ex-paratrooper, who was part of my support crew. He didn’t take part in the walk, but provided mental and physical support throughout the course, as even in the dark hours he was still cracking jokes.“I would also like to thank my sponsors, Energy Centre North West, Smart Image and Westfield Tree Services.”

This is not Danny’s first challenge, as last summer, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, raising more than £1,500 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Next year, he is going to walk around Preston Guild Wheel in a 100 mile loop within 24 hours in a challenge he calls The Guild Wheel of Steel.

After leaving the army in 2014 following almost a decade of service including tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, he then suffered the loss of his father, David, aged 52, in April 2016 and vowed to raise money for various charities to help other people.

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