A fundraising challenge from John O'Groats to Lands End
By Sported | 10th June 2022
Matthew Sergeant, from Edinburgh, set off at the beginning of June from John O’Groats in the north of Scotland to make the massive journey of more than 600 miles on foot to Lands’ End in the south of England, raising money for Sported.
Matthew aims to raise £1,300 and estimates that it will take him about two months to backpack the length of the United Kingdom.
Matthew, who hopes to stop off and visit some of the community sports groups in the Sported network en route, explained: “I’ve always had a bit of a bug for adventure and the great outdoors, from reading books about the great adventurers of the past to watching documentaries about people who continue to explore the world – I knew it was something I would love to experience for myself. The End-to-End trek appealed to me because it highlights the fact that you don’t have to travel around the world in search of an adventure, it can be right on your doorstep. There’s so much of the UK I haven’t seen, and I think the best way to see it is on foot!”
“I believe that sport and exercise of any kind has the power to change lives and that’s why I have chosen to raise money for Sported. When planning this challenge, I decided that if I could raise money for a good cause and allow others to benefit from it then it would make the trek all the more worthwhile. I feel passionately about, the power of sport and exercise, I saw the great work Sported were doing and knew it was something that I wanted to support. “
Matthew is an active person who says that: “Sport has always been a big part of my life; somewhere to go every week and do what I enjoyed most, surrounded by friends was a great experience and definitely helped shape me into who I am today. Although I’m not currently part of a sports team, I still keep active and whether it’s running or hiking – any type of exercise can positively impact your life!
“During the trek I will be aiming to cover around 20 miles a day so getting my body used to the impact that will have, has been the main aim of my training. The Pentland Hills have been a great place to go and spend the night camping then wake up and put in some hard miles. When I can’t make it to the hills, simply going for long walks in my local area has been another way in which I’ve been preparing, luckily, I’m on my feet all day during work as well which has no doubt helped and I feel confident I can complete the challenge while raising money for Sported in the process!”
Tom Burstow, Deputy CEO, Sported: “We are delighted that Matthew has decided to support Sported whilst embarking on his challenging trek down the length of the United Kingdom. We wish him all the best for his journey and will be cheering him on over the next couple of months. We also look forward to welcoming him to some of the groups in the Sported network on his travels so that he can meet the wonderful local heroes running the groups and understand how the funds he’s raising will be used to help groups survive and thrive.”
If you would like to support Matthew on his mammoth trek and quest to raise funds for Sported, please visit his Just Giving page: Matthew Sergeant is fundraising for Sported (justgiving.com)