Will heads for halfway point on Length of Britain walk

Former North Walsham and Aylsham student Will Riches is making good headway on his epic 1200-mile Length of Britain walk.

Will started his “Hike for Henry”walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats on May 18, and has completed four sections so far. This afternoon (June 2) he was tackling the fifth stage, which when completed will mean he is halfway through his journey through England, Wales and Scotland. Nearly £4,000 had been raised by mid-afternoon.

Will, 21, is raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, in memory of his best friend, Henry Hill, a fellow student at Paston College and Aylsham High School, who passed away in 2021, aged 18.

He is walking 10 non-stop sections of 120 miles each, two days and two nights, with one or two rest days in between. In his September 2023 fund-raiser for TCT he walked 200 miles non-stop over 72 hours with no sleep, raising over £4000.

Henry’s sister Liv, a paramedic from Norfolk, said losing her younger brother “absolutely broke me as we were so close, he was my best friend, my biggest supporter and the most kind and funny person. He has left a massive hole in our lives and we miss him every minute of every day.”

She added: “Hen and Will were inseparable best friends and always did crazy things together, so Will is carrying that on by completing these challenges in Henry’s memory.

The route Will is taking is mapped out on the Hike for Henry social media pages (@Hikeforhenry) but it totals up to 1200 miles and he is walking all of this on his own! He is  the most motivated person I have ever met so I have no doubt that he will complete it!”

The planned finish date is around June 27, which was Henry’s birthday.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Will can visit the  GoFundMe  page at :https://gofund.me/656a1cd7

More information and updates can be found on the Hike for Henry Facebook page and Instagram page

LONG ROAD AHEAD: Will Riches has been braving all weathers.