Rasen freemason strides out for festival funds

Former police inspector, and a member of the town’s Bayons Lodge, David Day hoped to raise at least £500 from his sponsored walk from St Bees on the west coast of England to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east, but ended with a total, so far, of £1,060.

The money will go to the Lincolnshire 2025 Festival in support of the MCF (Masonic Charitable Foundation), one of the largest grant-making charities in the country.

David (66) said: “I was proud to do this walk on behalf of Bayons Lodge and thank everyone for their sponsorship.”

A keen walker for more than 35 years, David completed the 192-mile ‘Wainwright Way’ in 12 days, although the route allows for variation, so his actual mileage was 210.

He did this while carrying all his equipment in his rucksack, which totalled around 11kg.

Although David was walking alone, his fellow freemasons were never far away.

David said: “I had daily calls of support from my Bayons colleagues, which was very pleasing, as well as support from my wife Carole.”

Originally, David had the coast to coast booked for May, but the ongoing pandemic meant it was cancelled, however this worked in his favour.

David said: “The weather for my original May dates turned out to be pretty bad, but my rescheduled dates were much better.

“The first three or four days through the lakes was very warm; I found it tough going as there are lots of climbs.

“Then there were a couple of days where I had to get my coat out – but I never got drenched, so it was all enjoyable.”

•David hopes to add to his final total for the MCF when meetings begin again. Meanwhile, his donation page is still open at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/neil-hollingsworth