A MAN from Hartley Wintney has set himself a gruelling challenge of walking 2,022 miles this year to raise money for a charity close to his heart.

Colin Charlton wanted to give something back to The Fire Fighters Charity because several of his family members work for the fire service.

Read more: Parking charges at Eastrop put on hold while council considers petition

The 52-year-old’s father is a retired on-call firefighter while his two cousins and uncle are working as firefighters.

The Fire Fighters Charity provides support for thousands of fire and rescue service personnel and their families every year. And that support lasts a lifetime.

All four members of Colin’s family have been based at Hartley Wintney Fire Station throughout their individual on-call careers, each of which have spanned more than 25 years.

While Colin isn’t a firefighter himself, he’s seen how much time his relatives have dedicated to fundraising for the charity, as well as the support some of them have received – so wanted to do his bit.

However, his main motivation to complete the epic walk this year is honouring his father, Dave Charlton, whose health is sadly deteriorating as he’s living with Parkinson’s disease.

Colin said: “I enjoy walking and setting myself a challenge. Last year, I set out to do 1,000 miles and I did 1,500, so I thought I’d up it this year and do it to raise some money for a charity that means something to me.

“The Fire Fighters Charity is always there… I spoke to them at the end of last year and I was so impressed. They offered a lot of advice of ways we could access support for my dad. That support is there, no matter when you retire, for your lifetime.

“Plus, for me, that link to the station has always been there, it’s a part of our family as well as our community.”

Colin will complete several Ultra Challenge events throughout the year, to reach his target, and the next one will see him walk 27 miles in a day round his local fire stations on June 18 – from Hartley Wintney, to Yateley, then to Fleet, on to Odiham and ending back at Hartley Wintney.

If you’d like to support his fundraiser, click here.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from Basingstoke by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.

Kimberley Barber