Arriva North West ‘Buswalker’ Neil Atherton raised more than £11,500 for foodbanks on the operator’s patch during 2025, work that culminated with a series of 31 five-kilometre teatime walks in north west England and North Wales in December 2025.
Mr Atherton is well known for his efforts to generate funds for foodbanks and poverty relief charities. The most recent challenge rounded off a year’s efforts in that respect, among which was a 50-mile jaunt on one day between six Arriva North West depots. In total, £11,548 was raised.
On each of his December walks Mr Atherton was joined by family and community members, charity representatives, and colleagues from Arriva, including members of management from depots at Laird Street in Birkenhead and Green Lane in Liverpool along with UK Bus Regions Engineering Director Phil Cummins.
“Taking on a walk every day in a different location really opened my eyes even further,” says Mr Atherton. “Each place has its own character, its own people, and its own reminder of how close food poverty sits to all of us.
“At teatime, most of us are thinking about what we are cooking or what is in the fridge; for too many families, that same moment is filled with worry and uncertainty. That is the reality I wanted to shine a light on.”
He adds that being joined by such a variety of people across the December 2025 walks was a highlight of the month’s efforts. “Colleagues, friends, volunteers, and other local residents who have been personally affected – every conversation made the purpose of the challenge feel even more important.”
One of the December 2025 walks took Mr Atherton via the Silver Jubilee Bridge over the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal from Widnes and Runcorn. That followed an earlier crossing of the Mersey when he was able to walk via the Birkenhead Tunnel between Wirral and Liverpool, which is usually well out of bounds to pedestrians.
On his efforts for 2026, Mr Atherton says that ideas are currently at the formulation stage but that this year will be more about highlighting and awareness of the damage that food poverty does. “We have to keep changing the whats and the whys,” he adds.
