Sometimes the best fundraising ideas are also the most ambitious. For Swindon estate agent Danny Hale, that means swapping office shoes for walking boots and setting off on a 250-kilometre trek from Swindon to the North Devon coast.
On Monday, 24 August, the Peach Estate Agents co-founder and his friend Brad Looker, of security company ESS, will begin a five-day challenge to walk all the way to Woolacombe, covering the equivalent of more than a marathon each day to raise money for Swindon homelessness charity Big Breakfast Plus.
Their route will take them through Bath, on to Minehead and then along the spectacular South West Coast Path before reaching Woolacombe, where they hope to celebrate the end of the journey with their families.
Danny, no stranger to endurance challenges, said the idea grew from a shared love of pushing themselves physically while supporting worthwhile causes.
“We like doing crazy things, like climbing Ben Nevis, Snowdon and the big mountains in the UK, and we’ve run marathons and ultramarathons,” he said. “We’ve often been to Woolacombe with our families, so we thought we’d walk there, meet the families and kids on the beach, and raise money at the same time.”
The challenge follows an earlier fundraising effort organised by Danny in partnership with In410 Running Club. A charity raffle hosted by Peach Estate Agents raised £600, and the pair are hoping the walk will push the total comfortably beyond the £1,000 mark.
Every pound raised will support Big Breakfast Plus, which serves a freshly cooked breakfast every day of the year from its base at Regent Circus, providing vital support for people experiencing homelessness or food poverty across Swindon.
Sophie Boyce, Charity Manager at Big Breakfast Plus, welcomed the latest fundraising effort.
“We’re so grateful to Danny and Brad for taking on this fundraising challenge. All the money they raise goes directly to helping those in need in Swindon by providing a fresh, cooked breakfast every day of the week.”
For Danny and Brad, the finish line may be a beach on the North Devon coast, but the real destination is helping ensure vulnerable people in Swindon continue to receive a warm meal and a warm welcome every single morning of the year.
