The Trust’s Alan Jervis will embark on a gruelling 360-mile journey on Cornwall’s coast paths in May to raise money for charity.
Alan, who is head of education for the Trust, is raising money for 3 local charities. They are Penhaligon’s Friends, Cornwall Mind, and Touch Eldoret. At the time of writing, he has already surpassed his £1,000 target.
Alan will be setting off from Porthtowan on May 18. He will head west on the north coast, before making his way along the south coast towards the Cornwall-Devon border. His journey will continue in-land up to the north coast, before finishing back in Porthtowan.
The challenge will take around 2 weeks to complete. Alan will be carrying a small tent and all the essentials needed for camping along the route.
He says: “I’m hoping to run around Cornwall. So, all of the coastal path and also the stretch from Plymouth up to north Cornwall. I’ll be camping along the way in a bivvy bag and just being pretty self-sufficient. I hope to get it done in around 2 weeks; fingers crossed.
“I will set off and aim to do around 40 kilometres a day, so that’s usually around 25, 26 miles per day. It’s the coastal path for the majority of it so it’s pretty hilly. Over the 2 weeks I’ll probably complete around 18,000 metres of climb. Each day is going to be pretty tough.”
Alan has always been a keen runner and has taken part in many marathons. Due to health reasons, he was forced to take a break from running. But after receiving treatment for a heart condition in 2020, he is once again donning the running shoes.
He says: “There’s a couple of reasons why I’m doing the challenge. I’ve always ran and done lots of marathons, but I have not done anything for charity in that time. I thought it was about time I did something for charity.
“I have suffered from atrial fibrillation for a number of years and that impacted on my running for about 10 years until I got it corrected in 2020. That will return at some point, so I just wanted to get this challenge done while I’m still fit and healthy really.
“The training is going pretty well. I started properly in January, so we’re a couple of months in now. There’s no major niggles or injuries at the moment, so I just hope that continues.’
Alan set up a donations page at the beginning of the year, with all proceeds going to his 3 chosen charities.
He says: “Penhaligon’s Friends do really great work to support bereaved children and their families in Cornwall.
“The second is Cornwall Mind. They are a mental health and wellbeing charity.
“The third is a charity I am involved in called Touch Eldoret. They support health and employment projects in a small village in Kenya. At the moment we help send 4 or 5 children to school, who would not otherwise receive any education.”
If you are interested in making a donation you can visit Alan’s ‘givewheel’ page at https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/2243/alans-around-cornwall-challenge/
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