Rescue dog to accompany owner on 1,200-mile mental health awareness trek along coastal England
A TREK stretching 1,200 miles along coastal England by a man and his rescue dog will raise awareness of mental health issues.
Chris Boothby, 35, and two-year-old Romanian rescue dog Sam left for their epic journey yesterday, aiming to go from the most easterly UK place - Ness Point in Lowestoft, Suffolk - all the way to Lands End, which is furthest west.
Over 40 days, the pair hope to raise awareness and charity funds for the Campaign Against Living Miserably, drug and alcohol support organisation Inclusion and Havant-based Phoenix Rehoming, which rehomed Sam.
Chris, who lived in Portsmouth for a decade and will pass through the city in a few weeks, said: ‘I want to raise awareness of all mental health issues, the fact there is support out there with organisations like Calm, Mind and Inclusion - all three I have used - and for people to share and follow my and Sam’s journey.’
The self-employed chauffeur is no stranger to long-distance challenges, having taken on a 60km walk in 2018 around the South Downs for Calm with his mum and sister in under 14 hours.
Chris, who lives in north Hampshire, added: ‘Off the back of the recent UK lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic and following my own mental health experiences since I was a teenager, it has inspired and driven me to try to achieve this goal.
‘I’m lucky enough to be in a situation where I can do it, with some awesome support from family and friends around me.’
Visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ChristopherBoothby or phoenixrehoming.co.uk/donate-support to donate, or follow facebook.com/pg/chriswalkswithsam.
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