A RECOVERED alcoholic who transformed his life to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity by walking across the country in his underpants was given a hero’s welcome when he passed through Basingstoke.

Michael Cullen, better known as SpeedoMick, is making his way across Britain on a 1,000-mile journey from John O’Groats to Lands End, wearing nothing but a pair of blue speedos and walking boots.

He started on December 29, 2022 and hopes to finish on April 29, raising money for The SpeedoMick Foundation which supports people with mental health issues.

The 58-year-old from Liverpool turned his life around after suffering from addiction, mental health issues and childhood trauma, which he said led him to make some “terrible decisions” to “block out the pain I was feeling inside”.

He said: “I could not see any way out. I had become isolated from society and left to my own devices I made things much worse. I was no longer a part of my family and I had nothing to contribute to my community.”

However, he managed to turn his life around and has dedicated the last seven years to helping others, hoping to take his total to £1m through his current, and final, challenge.

He said: “I have spent seven years tirelessly fundraising for charity and I’m a bit knackered now and I also want to spend more time with my loved ones as we don’t have them forever.”

Since starting his challenge in December Michael has walked 15 miles a day, including climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, enduring temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius.

He passed through Basingstoke, Overton and Whitchurch on March 25 and 26 and described the reception from passers-by as “amazing”.

Speaking to the Gazette on his journey, Michael said: “Basingstoke was great, it really was. It was fantastic, I had loads of support. In Basingstoke they ramped it up and took it to another level. All the cars were beeping and everyone knew. In some places people raise their eyebrows but Basingstoke were amazing.

“I’m tired now and every day is difficult to get out of bed, I could always do with more sleep. But when I come to somewhere like Basingstoke it lifts my spirits.”

Michael said his aim is to raise awareness of mental health, explaining: “I’ve been there myself and I had support around addiction. I’m 21 years clean and sober. I lost my hope and I lost my family and my home and my self-respect and dignity. I’ve got that all back. That’s the catalyst.”

Despite his difficult past, Michael said his life experience has made him who he is today, adding: “I’ve got tenacity and perseverance and the mental ability to keep going. I’ve already overcome so many challenges in my life before SpeedoMick turned up. All that hardship put me in good stead for the difficult stuff I’m doing.

“I wouldn’t wish that on anybody to be honest, but I do believe that if I didn’t go through that I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It was horrific for a long time but I now use it as a force for good.”

To donate to SpeedoMick click here.