Dad completes 2,700-mile walk in daughter's memory

A bereaved father has completed a 2,700 mile walk along English coastal paths in memory of his daughter.

It has taken Andrew Simkins, 72, from Winsham, south Somerset, almost eight years to finish the distance. He said every step of the way he felt "reconnected" with his daughter Alice, who died in 2016 from two autoimmune diseases.

The former army veteran, who served in the Army Air Corps till 2008, finished his trek at Weymouth seafront, in Dorset, on 27 October.

"I walk by myself but I'm never alone - I'm always with Alice," he said.

After he completed his first trip, he felt compelled to continue walking, "like Forrest Gump".

"It's given me great solace and peace of mind to stay connected to her," Mr Simkins added.

In July, the veteran started fundraising for the charity Lupus UK. Since then he covered coastal paths and border walks, including Hadrian's Wall and Offa's Dyke.

He has so far raised £1,330 of his £1,988 target for the charity, which signifies Alice's birthday on the 19 April 1988.

The mother-of-one was diagnosed with of lupus alongside non-Hodgkin Lymphoma before her death.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks healthy tissues, causing inflammation and sometimes permanent damage.

Meanwhile, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes, which form part of your immune system.

Mr Simkins said the walks keep his daughter's memory alive.

"The one way I can connect as a father is to use these walks as a way of reflection," he said. "To be in the present and think about her."

His JustGiving page is still accepting donations for Lupus UK.

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