Give 11,000-mile charity walker a wave as he prepares to trek through Hartlepool and East Durham

Father-of-three Chris Howard, 36, is attempting to raise £40,000 for Children in Need by covering the whole coast of Britain – and he’s been on the go since July 2020.

He has faced wind, rain, snow and Storm Arwen during his challenge of trying to complete 26 miles a day and he is doing it while he is carrying his full kit all the way.

He hopes to complete his mission by next month.

There have been days when he has slept in a tent in the cold winter.

But Chris is no stranger to challenges – he once rowed across the Atlantic without any support and has trekked through the Himalayas.

Another of his amazing achievements was to cycle non-stop from Paris to Cambridge.

Now he is approaching the North East stages of his Children in Need challenge.

Chris, from Cambridge, was due to pass through South Shields and Sunderland on Wednesday and reach the Hartlepool and East Durham area some time on Thursday and is hoping locals will give him a wave.

He said he is tackling the mission because he wanted to be an inspiration to his three daughters and also because Children in Need is a charity which does such good work on behalf of youngsters.

Chris, who works as a builder, added: “During lockdown, there has been a lot of talk about people’s mental health but no-one mentions the children. I just want to make sure that people are still aware that there are areas of the UK where children are suffering.”

He said: “I carry all my kit with me and it was difficult in the north of Scotland because of the shortage of daylight hours. I normally sleep in my tent but that can be difficult if I am in built-up areas.”

So far he has raised more than £31,000 towards his £40,000 target and people can sponsor him at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thecoastwalker

They can also track his progress on his charity website at https://thecoastwalker.com/

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