A MAN who took on a 56-day, 630-mile challenge around the South West Coast Path for charity has thanked local people and businesses for their generosity.
Jim Bray took up ‘Jim’s Journey’ to raise money for south west charities Force and Over and Above, both of which support local cancer fighters.
Jim’s Journey has raised around £8,000 so far for the two charities and he has expressed his thanks to ‘a number of accommodation providers who laid the platform for the fundraising by offering me free or discounted overnight stays’.
‘I would like to highlight the generosity I encountered from individuals and businesses in the South Hams during my recent 56-day, 630-mile charity walk along the South West Coast Path’ said Jim.
‘In the South Hams I was very grateful for the support of the businesses and people in your area have kindly made donations via Virgin Money Giving and directly to me during the walk.
‘When I was in Dartmouth, I had the best day of all, with people giving me donations directly. People gave me these donations, without any prompting, while I was in the Dolphin pub in the evening.
‘I was also struck by the many other acts of goodwill and selflessness I came across that helped me on my way, in the name of charity. Locals and tourists alike were so accommodating and good-hearted.’
Talking about his challenge, Jim said: ‘It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m very glad I decided to do it. Some of the scenery is beautiful and awe-inspiring and you can only see the most spectacular views by walking, quite often up steep hills or along difficult terrain.
‘The walks from Bolt Tail to Bolt Head, from Gara Rock to Prawle Point and from Froward Point to Berry Head were my favourites on the entire south coast of Devon.’
He took thousands of photos of the scenery and people can see his daily albums on Facebook by searching for Jim’s Journey.
‘It’s nice to forget about the turmoil in the world for a moment and celebrate the generous nature of so many individuals and businesses in the South Hams and beyond.’
Jim, a former communications manager for the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, who lives at Sampford Peverell, near Tiverton, walked the entire South West Coast Path this summer to raise money for the Seamoor Unit – Over and Above – and Exeter-based cancer charity Force.
He set off from Minehead in Somerset on Friday, June 10, and climbed more than 115,000 =ft, nearly four times the height of Mount Everest, crossed 288 bridges, caught 13 ferries and passed around 3,500 coast path signs before reaching the finish at Poole Harbour in Dorset on Thursday, August 4.
You can still donate to Jim by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=JimsJourney where you can find out more about Force and Over and Above.
For more information, call Jim on 07425 133606 or email him at [email protected].