Joe completes 77 mile walk 'home'

Joe Swift, a Walking With The Wounded supporter and Walking Home participant, recently completed a 77-mile walk in memory of his father, who he sadly lost 30 years ago.

Joe’s dad served in the Armed Forces, and Joe describes him as being the ‘perfect role model’ for him and his sister when they were children. Joe was motivated to take on the challenge after hearing about the work Walking With The Wounded do to provide veterans with tailored mental health support within 7 miles of their home. With this in mind, Joe made the decision to walk from his hometown, Burton-on-Trent, to his father’s hometown, Wigan, a journey of 77 miles.

Speaking on his walk and the challenges he faced along the way, Joe said: “As someone who receives therapy themselves, I know how much it can help, so I was motivated to support Walking With The Wounded and the work they do to provide veterans with the support they need. I set off on the morning of Friday 15th November, with the aim of making it to Wigan in time for the Burton Albion vs Wigan Athletic match at 3pm on Saturday 16th. I found a little BMX for £25 along the way and picked that up to help me cover some miles, until it gave up just outside Stoke-On-Trent! Walking through the night was a bit of a challenge as I didn’t have a map and my phone kept dying, but the kindness of strangers along the way helped me to reach my final destination in time, although the match ended up being postponed!”

Martin Lynn, Events Delivery Officer at Walking With The Wounded, added, “When Joe phoned me that morning telling me he’d set off on his walk and planned to do it in one go, I was astonished! Support like this shows just how much people appreciate the work that we do as a charity in supporting veterans and their families. We are extremely grateful to all of our supporters who fundraise for WWTW, helping us to continue providing our vital services.”