This summer, Tobias (Sh 17-22, Head of House) will be walking from Land’s End to John o’ Groats to raise money for two charities, Severn Hospice and Heartburn Cancer UK. It is a journey of over 1000 miles on foot and as he aims to walk some 20 miles per day with rest days included it is likely to take him approximately two and half months; he hopes to arrive at John o’ Groats by the end of July.

To maximise the sums raised, Tobias is anticipating the further physical challenge of ‘sleeping out’ in a bivvy bag rather than staying in B&Bs or hotels, although he also hopes that friends might occasionally be able to offer him a bed en route.

Tobias will set off from the start line at Land’s End in mid-May. He will be travelling light, solo and will be largely unsupported, but would love friends and family to walk with him at various stages along the way if they’re up for the challenge!

As well as (hopefully) making a donation on Tobias’ JustGiving page, please have a look at his route and see if you or any of your friends can support him, either by walking with him or by offering him a bed en route. The first ‘leg’ is Land's End to Shropshire and the second is Shropshire to John o' Groats. You can also follow him on Instagram on @tobiaswalks.

Tobias is fundraising to support the extraordinary work and campaigning of two charities who gave such support to the families of two of his oldest friends whose late fathers were diagnosed with cancer in recent years; these charities are Severn Hospice and Heartburn Cancer UK. Both of his friends’ fathers had served in the military (in the Grenadier Guards and Royal Marines) and maintained a love of physical endurance even after they had retired. It therefore seemed only right for Tobias, who is planning to join the Army after leaving university, to attempt a particularly demanding feat in their memory and to raise funds for such terrific charities.

The aim of this walk is two-fold, namely to raise funds to enable both charities to continue their excellent work and also to support a national project to improve the early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.

The Severn Hospice is a Shropshire-based charity that absolutely delivers its vision of ‘caring for people at the end of their life as well as they were at its beginning’, involving an inspirational degree of wrap-around humanity, kindness and care not only for their patients but also for their patients’ families. Giles Inglis-Jones’ family say that they cannot imagine how they would have managed without them.

Heartburn Cancer UK exists to raise awareness about the dangers of persistent heartburn, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and Barrett’s oesophagus which can lead to oesophageal cancer. The quick and simple cytosponge test, developed by the University of Cambridge, is currently an NHS pilot using mobile diagnostic units run by Heartburn Cancer UK.  Oesophageal cancer is the 4th most common cause of cancer deaths in men in the UK and Tobias hopes that many who read about his journey will be prompted not only to make a donation but also, if they have persistent heartburn, to speak to their GP about taking the cytosponge test. The UK has the worst survival record in Europe and the developed world for oesophageal cancer; earlier diagnosis will help to change this.

So, please:

Make a donation here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tobiaswalks 

Check if you or anyone in your address book might offer him a bed en route,

Consider joining him for any part of what should be an epic adventure.