A man has walked more than 140 miles all the way from Norfolk to his dad’s care home in Northamptonshire to raise money and awareness for a dementia charity.
James Draper, 44, trekked 144 miles from his Sea Palling home to visit his dad, Bob, 76, who is receiving care for dementia at Kenroyal care home in Wellingborough.
Mr Draper's six-day challenge has raised more than £3,500 for Dementia UK.
It is a charity which means a lot to him after losing his grandad, Peter Richards, to dementia, and seeing his 88-year-old nan, Edna, also be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Mr Draper, who completed the trek on November 19, said: “I came up with the idea around a year ago.
“My family has been hit with dementia badly throughout my life. I lost my grandad to dementia and then my father was diagnosed about eight years ago.
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“My nan has since been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and she’s suffering quite badly with it as well. It’s very dear to our hearts.
“I’m travelling to see my dad as much as I can at the nursing home but he’s deteriorating.
"It’s tough living so far away from him so I came up with the idea that I would walk it to try and raise money and awareness for Dementia UK."
Mr Draper averaged around 24 miles a day.
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“It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be and I’m suffering now for it,” he said.
“The support I’ve had and the donations I’ve received have been overwhelming. The support dragged me through when it got tough.
“Dad was always in my mind as well. When I went through a rough patch and my legs were starting to give me some serious pain, I thought of him and it pushed me on.
“Thank you so much for everyone’s support. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
To donate to Mr Draper's fundraiser, visit 'James's fundraiser for Dementia UK' on Just Giving.
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