* From left: Sarah Bee, Lynne Ford, Curtis Langley and Ann Norwood, who all work at the Movement Centre, gather around Gary Fletcher.
A Llangollen man is planning to do a solo 500-mile charity walk to raise at least £10,000 for a local hospital’s specialist children’s unit.
Gary Fletcher, 44, aims to trek through France and Spain along the famous Camino De Santiago Pilgrim Trail.
He reckons it will take him between six and eight weeks, dependent on the weather or any injuries he might sustain along the way.
Gary, who recently sold his development site next to White Waters Hotel and is looking for another property in or around the town, says he is now busy training for his foot-slogging marathon by climbing local hills and mountains and sweating it out in daily gym sessions.
He has also mounted an intensive publicity and social media campaign to gain the sponsorship from local businesses that he needs before he can set off on the challenge in aid of the pioneering Movement Centre at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen.
He said: “I really need to get this out there as much as possible to raise as much as I can for the centre and the children it treats.
“I have wanted to do something to help children in our country for some time. With the centre I have found the perfect charity to support as it relies solely on donations and private fundraising to continue its work supporting children of all ages with mobility issues.
“The work it does includes physiotherapy and other treatments to help young patients some of whom are taught how to communicate through movement with their parents and family.
“Others may have prosthetic limbs or debilitating illnesses which require constant ongoing treatment from the centre.
“The centre is one of very few in the UK that provides this kind of support and treatment and is life-changing in so many ways for children and their families.”
Gary added: “I am in constant contact with the centre, and I am due to meet with more children there to learn about their disabilities and the treatments.
“I have set up fundraising through a GO-Fund-Me account. All proceeds are paid directly from Go Fund Me to the Movement Centre. My account for fundraising is here https://www.gofundme.com/f/500-mile-walk-along-the-camino-santiago-trail
“So far I have raised £315 both online and cash donations. I have set the target to £10,000, but I ambitiously aim to raise £100,000 over the course of the next three months.
“I anticipate donations to really take off once I am on the trail and will post daily photos and videos showing my progress to various media channels. This will include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.”
* Gary’s dedicated Facebook page fpr his challenge is at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091220251610
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