A Wiltshire man crosses the finish line of 1,038 miles on a charity walk

After walking more than 1,000 miles, a Wiltshire man completed a charity challenge right at the helipad he raised money for.

Drew Hornsey, 55, from Trowbridge, spent last year walking the length of Lands End to John O’Groats.

By his own admission, he took “a slightly circuitous route” and ended up at the Wiltshire Air Ambulance base in Semington, Wiltshire, on Friday.

His efforts have so far raised almost £1,000 for the air ambulance service.

The idea for the challenge came to him after he started using an exercise tracking app with his partner and decided he needed a challenge for motivation.

He said: “I got the application and thought ‘go big or go home’. So Lands End for John O’ Groats, that’s fine.”

But it wasn’t until his partner took part in a haircut for charity that Mr Hornsey considered taking on the challenge for a cause.

“Wiltshire Air Ambulance has always been something I’ve supported and it’s been close to my heart, so I decided to do something good for them as well as do something good for myself,” he told the BBC Radio Wiltshire.

Spread over 360 days, not all of the walks were marathon efforts—but every step counted.

“The longest day I did was from Trowbridge to Bath along the canal,” he said.

“That was 14 miles in just under four hours, so that’s where I’d make up for days where I only did half a mile – I walk to the shop and back – but every day there was some form of walking.”

And while some people might have stocked up on specialist gear for 1,038 miles, Mr Hornsby relied on shoes he could rely on.

“His old wayward coaches need the trash can now,” he joked.

“But they’ve served me well all this time.”