Hi, my name is Dave Foster, and I would love you to help me raise funds for the relief charity ShelterBox by supporting me in ShelterBoots. 

ShelterBoots is my coast-to-coast walk from the easternmost point in England, to the westernmost tip of Wales a few miles beyond St David's in Pembrokeshire. The walk will follow parts of many existing trails such as the Angles Way, Cotswold Way and the Wye Valley Walk, and then I have to find my way through the sparsely populated Welsh interior.  It all works out at 680km / 425 miles of walking - plus a good bit for getting lost now and then, footpath diversions etc  -   and I'll also need to climb nearly 10,000m / 32,800 ft  along the way. I reckon it will take an old guy five weeks, so I'm setting out from Lowestoft at10am on Saturday 20 May and I aim to arrive at St Davids on Saturday 24 June.

This is a walk I’ve wanted to do for a number of years and what else is being retired for? Over 50 years ago, as part of my Queen’s Scout expedition, I set out with some friends to walk the 25 highest peaks iin Wales. We didn’t make it to the end that time, but I’m so looking forward to revisiting parts of that terrain right through to the west coast

Arriving at St David’s Cathedral will also make this walk something of a pilgrimage,  a Camino across England and Wales. This year it’s 900 years since St David’s became an ‘official’ pilgrim destination,  and I will try to live out St David’s teaching : ‘Be joyful; keep the faith; and do the little things …’ - like putting one foot in front of the other, repeat with other foot, continue for five weeks …

ShelterBox is a relief charity which was launched in 2000 by members of a Rotary Club in Cornwall. The mission is to deliver effective practical relief to people who lose their homes through disaster or conflict. All the essentials for a family unit of up to 10-12 people - including shelter, cooking equipment, bedding, tools, water purifiers etc - are sent in an easily transported iconic green crate called a ShelterBox.. 

Each filled box costs around £600 / €680, so my goal with ShelterBoots is to raise £12,000 for ShelterBox - enough to send 20 ShelterBoxes to wherever they may be needed next. Please will you help me achieve this? Every donation will go directly to the ShelterBox, with GiftAid if you're able, and your personal details are safe. 

And I would so appreciate it if you could share this page with your own contacts through Facebook, Twitter etc.

Thank you - and God bless!

Dave Foster

About me

For a good part of my life I've been a vicar in the Church of England - or latterly, a trainer and mentor of new and aspiring vicars. We’ve lived and worked in London, Oxford, Luton, Isle of Man, High Wycombe, Manchester and Norfolk. My wife Gerry was also a vicar until we retired in 2021, and we now live in Worcestershire, a few miles from Stratford-upon Avon.