Mark’s thousand mile mission to raise cash for charity

At the end of last year, Mark Freemantle decided that he wanted to complete a 1,000 mile walk around his home village within 50 days, for the Alzheimer’s Society.

The charity is particularly close to Mark’s heart, as he is sadly losing his mother to dementia each day, while his sister-in-law had early onset dementia at the age of 50 and no longer recognises anyone.

Mark’s challenge has seen him walk approximately 20 miles each day, which equates to six laps of his 3.5 mile route around the village - often in the cold, wind and rain!

At the time of going to press (Wednesday), Mark had already completed 35 days of his 50 day challenge, with less than 300 miles of walking still left to complete.

Mark’s wife, Amanda, told the Leader: “He has donations over half way towards his target of £1,000 – not bad for a man who’s nearly 62, although he has always been into walking, jogging, and he is a very keen Louth Indoor Bowls Club member.

“We believe that during Covid-19, all the charities are losing so much of their usual income stream and therefore any small donations or fundraising event is extremely important to ensure that such vital work still carries on.”

Mark’s fundraising total has since risen to more than £700, and there is plenty of time to visit his fundraising page and help him towards his £1,000 target. Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-freemantle1 to make a donation and to read Mark’s daily challenge updates.

You can also find charity donation tins at Gilliman’s Village Store in Grainthorpe, at the Marshchapel Post Office, and at the Co-op in North Somercotes.