As a keen walker and one who also thrives on a challenge this year I have decided to combine the two!

My challenge was to walk 2022 miles in 2022 and raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity in the process.

I reached the original target of 2022 miles on 21st September, in the process completing five 50km Challenge walks as well as a marathon between my local Fire Stations and a treadmill half marathon on HW High Street.

Therefore I have decided to increase the target to now attempt walk a further 1000 miles in the remaining 101 days of 2022!

It will mean an average of roughly 10 miles a day until the year end-tough but that's what a challenge is meant to be.

Despite never having been a Firefighter I have chosen The Fire Fighters Charity as the recipient of my fundraising efforts because of a strong family connection through my dad, Dave Charlton, uncle, Graham Bartlett, and cousins, David and Steven Bartlett, that has so far provided over 100 years of service to the Fire Service at Hartley Wintney.

It is a charity that offers support to firefighters, active and retired, and their families and I know will be there for my dad as he deals with the effects of Parkinsons and the issues that presents.

The Fire Fighters Charity offers specialist lifelong support for members of the UK’s fire services community, empowering individuals to achieve mental, physical and social wellbeing throughout their lives.

Through the provision of personalised support, tailored to the specific needs of each of its beneficiaries, its expert teams deliver the right support, in the right way, in the right place and at the right time to ensure the best long-term results for everyone they work with.

Whatever their reason for coming to the Charity – whether they are injured, recovering from an illness, suffering from stress or anxiety – their teams take the time to understand each person’s mental, physical and social needs.

Thereafter, the Charity works with each of its beneficiaries to design a pathway of support that could include community-based support, further advice and information, a stay at one of its residential centres or a combination of options. The aim, however, is always the same; to help people move forward positively in their lives.

To ensure the Charity can do this for over 5,000 people a year and to meet the £9m cost of operating its support services, it is dependent on regular donations from fire and rescue service personnel, past and present, as well as the general public.

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