Bus driving trainer Neil Atherton has raised £6,607 for food bank charity the Trussell Trust via a 125-mile walk in seven days along Arriva bus routes.
The Arriva employee from Widnes, Cheshire, set off on 9 July, and walked north to south across seven regions, starting in Durham and ending in Trafalgar Square in London last Saturday.
Neil, who has worked for the operator for 23 years and now works as as a MyDrive lead, training bus drivers in Arriva’s technical systems, has earned the nickname ‘the Bus Walker’ for his previous exploits.
Including on two similar walks over the past two years, he has now raised a total of more than £17,000. Earlier this year, he was awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours for his charity work.
Joined throughout the journey by Arriva colleagues, his latest adventure involved more than 279,000 steps and 700 miles of driving.
He says: “It was tough walking 125 miles as well as driving to the different locations, which made it hard on my body and mentally.
“The toughest part was day six in Hemel Hempstead, as we walked through the rain to six hours – it just didn’t stop.
“My friends and family have always been behind me and it was really good meeting all the amazing Arriva staff, who walked with me and took in some of the sights on the walks. We had some great chats and I met friends for life.
“Making a difference is one of our key values at Arriva and I feel we serve the country as a bus operator and raising money and awareness of food poverty is important. We’ve helped so many families around the UK.
“I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who shared my walks and sponsored me.”
Cora Woodhouse, Marketing and Customer Services Director for Arriva, adds: “We are all really proud of Neil and everything he’s achieved so far.
“He’s a shining example of living our core values at Arriva, which are caring passionately about the people we serve, doing the right thing and finding ways to make a difference.”
Neil’s fundraising page.
