The teacher walks 1,000 miles to Cornwall for the best reason

A retired teacher walked 1,000 miles to Cornwall – starting in Switzerland and crossing France before arriving in Perranporth. Rainer Zust, who is 65, his partner Stephanie and two dogs Leo and Nettie completed the epic walk in just 69 days.

Rainer said he was inspired at the start of the pandemic when he daydreamed about surfing in Cornwall. He said to his dog, Leo, “Come on, let’s go to Perranporth in Cornwall.”

Since then he dreamed of the ride “for a long time” and decided he would do it for real. To add rhyme to reason, he decided to accept sponsors and raised money for a children’s hospice in the process.

Read more: Victory in three-year battle to save Penzance community centre

Read more: The faces of Cornwall’s dancers who support Kylie Minogue and Take That

Rainer said: “For a long time, I had dreamed of a long-distance hike to Cornwall. I often went surfing in Perranporth with my sons and walked the coastal path with Stephanie. The South West of England is a wonderful region for us all.”

While in Switzerland, the couple raised money for the Flamingo Children’s Hospice, which will be the first of its kind in Switzerland. They raised nearly £50,000.

The hospice, planned in Fällanden, Zürich, will be open to children and young people up to the age of 18 with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their parents and siblings. The construction of the hospice was made possible by the Swiss Children’s Foundation, and construction is well underway.

Join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and be the first to hear what’s happening near you – Cornwall Live

While walking around the UK, the couple were also fundraising for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) and raised around £1,000. The couple paid for the entire trip themselves to ensure that all money raised went directly to the two causes.

The longest day’s walk they did was 31km and they reached altitudes of 600m as they walked around West Bay and Lyme Regis.

“I had a seriously ill child who survived, fortunately, thanks to the help of the Children’s Hospital in Zurich.”

The youngest of Rainer’s four sons needed heart surgery as a child and is now healthy.

Beth Rudge, fundraiser for CHSW, said: “I was quite surprised when I initially received communications from Rainer explaining his unique challenge and how he would raise funds not only for Switzerland’s first children’s hospice, but also for Children’s Hospice South West. Rainer and Stephanie are such positive and inspiring people and we sincerely thank them for every mile they go out of their way to support CHSW’s work for local families.”

For more information, visit: www.walkingforshortlives.ch/en/

Get the best stories about the things you love most, curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love Here