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Ex-vicar walking 700 miles for Cornish charity

Dan WareingSouth West
ShelterBox A close-up of Dave Foster. He has a white cap and is wearing black-rimmed glasses. He is wearing a waterproof jacket.ShelterBox
Dave Foster, 71, will spend the next eight weeks walking from Land's End, to the Scottish border

A retired vicar has set off on an epic challenge to walk the length of England for the Cornish disaster relief charity ShelterBox.

Dave Foster, 71, began his journey at Land's End, on Saturday, and will spend the next eight weeks making his way to north of Berwick-upon Tweed, on the Scottish border.

He is walking the 700-mile route with the goal of raising £20,000 for charity, and will face steep coast paths, unpredictable weather, and the 268-mile (431 km) Pennine Way.

Foster, who stopped off at the charity's Truro headquarters on Monday, described this new challenge as "exciting but daunting, and said he hoped to "repay the trust of everyone" who has supported him.

ShelterBox Dave Foster talking a selfie with a vast moorland in the background. He is wearing a white cap with ShelterBox written on it, black sunglasses, and a high-vis waterproof jacket.ShelterBox
Foster walked the width of England and Wales for ShelterBox, in 2023

So far Foster has raised more than £9,000 and even received a message of encouragement from Queen Camilla, who is Patron of ShelterBox.

"After retiring, I had the opportunity to take on a new challenge; walking further and for longer than I'd ever done before and using that to raise funds for an inspiring cause like ShelterBox," Foster said.

In 2023 he raised more than £11,500 for the charity by trekking the width of England and Wales.

"This year the walk is much longer and more challenging, exciting but daunting too. I hope I'll be able to repay the trust of everyone who's supported me."

Foster is a member of the Rotary Club of Evesham Vale, in Worcestershire.

ShelterBox was founded by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in 2000.

Foster added: "I've been involved in fundraising for ShelterBox for a number of years and I admire what it stands for and its direct, practical approach.

"With the support of Rotary and other international partners, ShelterBox has been supporting those who have been left without shelter, and with very little essentials to stay alive, for over 25 years," he said.

"So, if I can make a difference for just one family with the money we raise through ShelterBoots, it will be worth walking 700 miles for."

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