Son steps out in honour of dad
A TEENAGER is set to walk more than 150 miles across the country in memory of his father, who took his own life in May 2019.
Cameron Dodd, 17, from Darlington came up with the idea of a trek, before deciding on destinations commemorating his father’s love of football.
His father Steven loved both Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC, so it made sense for Cameron to take the 153-mile trip from the Stadium of Light to Anfield to raise awareness and funding for a mental health charity.
Cameron said: “My dad was a massive football fan and he’s the reason I’m interested in football; I’ve got the exact same mind he did with regards to it. He was a massive Sunderland and Liverpool fan, and I’m a massive Liverpool fan and he would occasionally take me to Sunderland games.
“The walk is basically an idea I had on a random night. I wanted to do a long walk, and then I thought ‘I want to do something for my dad.’
“One thing led to another and now it’s where it is now.”
Cameron will set off from the Stadium of Light on 11 April, before stopping off in Escomb on the first night.
From there he will trek to Grinton, before walking to Malham the next day. On April 14 he will then embark on the longest walk of his overall journey, setting off in sight of Preston, where he will stay overnight, before making the final stretch to Anfield on April 15, completing the 153-mile trip.
He will be joined on his journey by two of his best friends, Chloe Saxton, 17, and Kieran Blore, 18.
Cameron said: “They both said they’d come as soon as I told them I was doing it.”
A steward at the Stadium of Light, Rosie Laws, has offered to also participate in the cause – much to Cameron and his mother Jennie’s delight.
Jennie said: “We don’t really know her – Cameron met her once at a Sunderland game the other night, but beyond that she just messaged us totally out of the blue and said that she wanted to join in and to support mental health too.”
The Turks Head pub in Darlington, where Steven used to be a regular, has shared the cause on its social media sites, as well as Liverpool-based pub The Arkles, which offered Cameron and his friends refreshments upon their arrival.
Cameron and his friends will also be raising money for a charity that has supported the family. Manhealth, which was founded in 2015 by Paul Bannister, is a Darlington-based mental health charity that supports men in their battles with mental health.
Jennie said: “It’s a local charity and it supports men and we only wish that Steven had discovered them before he did what he did with it being local.”
To donate to Cameron’s cause go to https://manhealth.enthuse.com/pf/ charitywalk