Postie’s fundraising walk
ROYAL BOROUGH: A Maidenhead postman and his friend have completed an adrenalinefuelled 21-hour walk from Woodley to Brighton in aid of Thames Hospice.
Guy Coles and aeroplane engineer Adam Lewis, from Woodley, took part in the challenge over the weekend of October 17 and 18.
The pair started at midday on the Saturday and arrived in Brighton three hours ahead of schedule, hitting the seafront in view of family and friends at just after 9am on Sunday morning.
They had initially hoped to do the walk in 24 hours.
Guy and Adam were raising money for Thames Hospice, which moved to its new Bray Lake facility this month. The hospice supported a late family friend and his loved ones.
Justin Hall passed away from cancer at the end of July, and the pair wanted to walk in his memory and raise funds for a cause close to their hearts, and the hearts of Justin’s family.
The friends have smashed a £500 target, with £3,921 in the pot at the time of writing.
Guy, who lived in Maidenhead for 30 years before moving to Bracknell, is no amateur when it comes to fundraising challenges.
Dubbed the ‘running postman’ by those on his rounds, he told the Advertiser that his battle was more of a mental one – as opposed to firsttimer Adam, who struggled with physical challenges during the 60mile walk.
The men walked across a range of terrains – including through the night – dressed as Super Mario characters.
“The first half was actually quite nice, the general public were lovely, beeping, having pictures with us. The second half was horrendous,” Guy said.
The pair had backpacks with a limited supply of food and water but aside from a quick stop off at a fast food chain, their options for refueling were limited.
The two would not come into contact with anyone for about 20 miles during the night, Guy added.
Visit www.justgiving .com/fundraising/ guy-coles1 to donate to the fundraiser.