Cheshire
Fundraising and awareness, Grants to charities
A 900-mile journey to raise money for food banks
A man in his late 70s from the Wirral is taking on one of the most unusual and challenging walks in the UK and he’s doing it to raise vital funds for food banks.
Nigel Griffiths, a Freemason from Burton, is walking the entire length of the 3 Degrees West meridian, the only line of longitude that crosses the full length of England, Wales, and Scotland – from the English Channel to the Orkney Islands.
The trek will cover around 900 miles in total, taking in everything on the way, including the Lake District fells to the Cairngorm mountains.
What makes Nigel’s walk truly remarkable is that there is no official trail for this route. He has plotted the entire journey himself, painstakingly identifying footpaths, bridleways and byways that keep him as close as possible to the meridian line.
In effect, Nigel is creating the route as he goes – the first person ever to walk the full length of this forgotten longitude.
Nigel, who is completing the journey in consecutive stages of up to a week at a time, has already covered large sections of the route, including the Wirral peninsula where he lives and the famous Liverpool Pier Head.
His next challenge is to tackle the Scottish Cairngorms, one of the toughest and most remote parts of the journey.
He is determined to use this pioneering challenge to raise as much money as possible for local food banks up the length of the UK.
Donations are being made through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), ensuring that 100% of the money raised goes directly to food banks in the communities he passes through.
The need for food banks has sadly never been greater, I wanted to do something that was both a personal challenge and which could make a real difference to people who are struggling, as well as meeting up with friends and fellow walkers along the way. Walking the 3 Degrees West meridian seemed a fitting way to connect communities up and down the country and hopefully encourage support for food banks everywhere.
In September, Nigel will be walking through the Cairngorm mountains from Cortachy to Glenbuchat Castle on five consecutive days, aiming to reach Inverness early in October before taking a ‘sabbatical’ during the dark winter months.
The walk will then resume in spring, with Nigel planning to complete the far North and Orkney Islands by May next year.
The walk has already attracted interest from walkers and supporters across the UK, and Nigel is calling on more people to get involved – either by joining him on the trail or by donating to support food banks.
To donate, visit https://donate.givetap.co.uk/f/masonic-charitable-foundation/l32-stgeorges-lodge-of-harmony/3-degrees-west
