Arriva North West bus driver trainer Neil Atherton – known as the Bus Walker – will walk a 50-mile route between six of the operator’s depots on Sunday 27 April to raise funds for foodbanks throughout Merseyside and Halton.
That represents a rescheduling from the originally planned date in February, with the postponement caused by an injury.
Proceedings will start at 0400hrs at Southport depot and proceed via Bootle, Green Lane in Liverpool, St Helens and Speke to Runcorn, departing on the last stretch at around 1730hrs.
The 50-mile walk is one of three major challenges that Mr Atherton will tackle in 2025. When they are over, any foodbank that was passed during his walks will receive a percentage of the money raised in that process.
He notes that based on a 12-metre length, the 50-mile challenge will represent the equivalent of over 66,000 buses lined up nose-to-tail, or walking from Widnes to Rhyl.
Mr Atherton expects that up to 17 hours will be needed to complete the challenge and that it will involve around 132,000 steps. He adds that the 2025 efforts aim to continue to shine a light on the issue of hunger within society.
Donations can be made via a dedicated GoFundMe page. Mr Atherton hopes to raise £5,000 across the course of the year. As of 22 April, that figure was almost 60% reached but he is keen for more money to follow.
While he was unable to complete the 50-mile challenge as expected in February, colleagues from both within and outside the bus industry volunteered to join what became termed Team Atherton to continue Bus Walker efforts by taking his place and covering those miles.
Meanwhile, Mr Atherton has continued his recovery, including with weekly walks along Arriva North West routes and to the operator’s depots. He has also garnered local media coverage of his efforts to raise money for foodbanks ahead of the 27 April challenge.
