ROBIN ROBERTS, a shop volunteer for the hospice charity ellenor, marked his 50th birthday on February 1 with a sponsored walk of 50 miles which took him nearly 24 hours and raised more than £1,000.
Mr Roberts began his journey from the Tunbridge Wells shop at 5am and headed north, taking in the majority of the charity’s 16 shops and ellenor’s Dartford office. He completed his walk at ellenor’s hospice in Gravesend at 2.15am the following morning, having left home at 3am the previous day. He was met there by his parents and Area Fund-raising Manager Kate Barnes.
“I was unemployed and I wanted to get into charity work and put something back into the community, so I called into the ellenor shop,” said Mr Roberts, who works at the Bexleyheath shop.
“I found the managers Rita and Kay and all the team very friendly and passionate about what ellenor does and stands for.”
He added: “Because 50 is a landmark birthday, I wanted to do something different. As abseiling was unseasonal, I struck upon the idea of walking from Tunbridge Wells to Gravesend via the ellenor shops. When I worked out the total distance would be 50 miles, it seemed like fate.”
“A huge thank you to Robin for undertaking this incredible walk for ellenor,” said Ms Barnes.
“He smashed his £1,000 target and inspired not only our team, but our shop managers and volunteers and the local community. The money he raised will make a huge difference to families facing terminal illness from Tunbridge Wells to Gravesend.”
To find out more about the charity’s work, visit www.ellenor.org