Woman raises £22k for homelessness with British coastline walk

A woman who trekked 5,000 miles around Britain's coastline in a year to raise money for homelessness says the journey was "incredibly eye-opening".

Claire Allen, from Ashley Down in Bristol, started her walk at John O'Groats in Scotland on 8 August 2023, before completing the round trip on 27 July.

She set out to raise her goal of £25,000 for two homelessness charities - Shelter and Only a Pavement Away. She has so far brought in more than £22,500.

The solo-traveller said finding places to feel safe, sleep, and wash gave her "a taste" of the daily struggles faced by those experiencing homelessness.

Ms Allen said one of the toughest challenges she faced was the unrelenting British weather, which battered her as she took on the rugged south-west coastline.

"We had a fairly challenging winter, with the wettest February on record," she said.

"All of the storms came thick and fast, and you can imagine on some of those hills I was quite exposed at times."

Ms Allen said there were often 50m (164ft) stretches where she had to cling onto undergrowth, to ensure she wouldn't "fly off the side" of the cliff.

"It was certainly a section that I will remember for a long time," she added.

However, one of her "highlights" was the varied and breath-taking views she encountered along the way.

"Although there were hard days, it was never a case of thinking 'I just don't want to do it', because you're always going somewhere new," Ms Allen continued.

"There were times when it felt a bit of a trudge, but the variety and diversity of all those different places just kept you going."

Ms Allen camped for the majority of her journey and relied upon the kindness of strangers to help her through tough times, adding "it really felt like a team effort".

"It was made more manageable by the people I met along the way," she said.

"Those who offered me a bed for the night, stopped to have a conversation, or made a donation. It just spurs you on."

Ms Allen only decided to raise money for homelessness part-way through her challenge, as she realised how difficult it was to make crucial daily decisions about where to sleep, eat and wash.

"I'm a woman on my own, and you do have a sense of your own personal safety when you're doing something like that," Ms Allen explained.

"There's no similarity between what I've done and what it's like to be homeless, but it does give you a taste."

Ms Allen is one of three people to be shortlisted for the GoCardless JustGiving Award 2024, which is a celebration of the most incredible fundraising efforts.

The ceremony will take place in mid-September.

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