An IT lecturer from Coleg Gwent’s Crosskeys campus is to walk the length of Wales to raise money for charity.
While students are making the most of their upcoming half term break Alun King, from Pontywaun, will be walking 177 miles from north Wales to south Wales for Help for Heroes.
Alun will be spending six days trekking Offa’s Dyke, making sure he’s back in the classroom, bright and early with his class on Monday morning.
The lecturer is taking on the challenge with his friend Edward Arnold. The pair, who met at university in Cardiff, will set out from Prestatyn in north Wales on Saturday October 22 and plan to arrive at Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow six days later.
Since the start of their student days, the competitive duo have challenged one another with similar arduous tasks, but this is the first time they’ve done one for charity.
Alun said: “Being able to raise money as well as demonstrating a battle of wills to outdo the other will certainly keep us going. And this task seemed somehow fitting for the chosen charity, Help for Heroes. Although it’s very physically demanding for us, it’s nothing compared what servicemen do for our country.”
The pair are planning to average a challenging 30 miles per day. To prepare for the challenge Alun’s been walking around Cwmcarn Forest Drive with his fully laden backpack and was recently joined by Ed for a 30 mile ‘dummy run’.
“My main concern is the weather,” added Alun,“Dry and cloudy conditions are ideal but knowing the British weather it won’t be as straight forward as that.
“Rain would make it especially difficult as tasks like packing a wet tent away and cooking are so much harder in wet weather. And if you get wet, it takes a very long time to get dry again once it’s stopped raining.”
Anyone wanting to support Alun can donate at www.justgiving.com/Edward-Arnold0