Scaffolder takes on walk to Ben Nevis challenge

A scaffolder is walking 400 miles (644 km) from his home in Leeds to the top of Ben Nevis to raise money for three charities.

Kane Haley, 24, began his Belle Isle to Ben Nevis challenge two weeks ago and has so far raised £2,500 for charities Mind, Andy's Man Club and the RNLI.

After losing friends to suicide he decided to start the fundraising challenge, which will take 21 days and see him walk an average of 10 hours or 22 miles (35km) each day.

Mr Haley said he first took up walking to support his mental health and "make a change".

“I started changing my life and falling in love with outdoors and so I started spending my weekends outdoors and going out walking," he said.

“Then instead of going out drinking I've been completing a good number of these mountains, like the big peaks of Scotland, England and Wales."

He said he wanted a challenge that was different to what other people do.

“I like to set myself these big goals. I thought, I bet no-one's done it from Leeds, so why not?”

The journey has already taken him over the Pennines and across the Scottish border.

Over the next week he will walk through beauty spots such as the Trossachs and then up Britain’s highest peak Ben Nevis.

He said despite completing the journey on his own he has met multiple people along the way.

His TikTok page documenting the challenge has more than 1,500 followers.

Throughout the journey he’s been supported by mum Emma Whittaker who has been driving up to meet him “every three days with fresh socks and underpants”.

She said: “I don't think we fully appreciated how remote some of these places are, and that there's literally nowhere open in some places to get food.

“So I just try and keep him going really.”

Mr Haley, who is co-director of a construction firm, said mental health support was important to him because he had seen many of his colleagues affected.

He also decided to donate to the RNLI because of his love of the coast.

“I’ve been visiting the seaside from a young lad, from my parents and grandparents, and they always taught me, explained what the RNLI do.”

With a week left to go, he says his biggest concern is rain.

“I can deal with cold. I can warm up. But if I'm wet it's going to be a bit hard.

"I've had a little bit of rain, but not too much yet. So we'll see about that.”

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