Father and daughter take on charity walk

Derek Allan and Ellie, nine, will put their best foot forward along the Northumberland Coastal Route, from Berwick to Cresswell, to raise funds for Headway – the brain injury association.

The pair, who live in South Broomhill, will start the challenge – called Footprints for Others – on Sunday, July 31, and will tackle the route over a number of days.

Derek said: “Two years ago, when Ellie was seven, we went on a spur-of-the-moment walk with two backpacks. We walked a 17-mile round trip to get an ice-cream from Cresswell.

“Since then, we have been casually training in the build-up to do something bigger and now we are doing this adventure.

“I have done many different kinds of fund-raising over the years, but now my focus is to raise money through walking and what better way to start than by doing it while spending time with Ellie. We will walk from Berwick to Cresswell – home of the afore mentioned ice-cream.”

Headway’s vice-president is Olympic champion James Cracknell, who suffered a brain injury in 2010. Derek, who has epilepsy, is only too happy to raise money for the cause. He said: “Headway has supported a lot of people, including James Cracknell.

“I have been inspired by his story and I admire how much he continually aspired to new challenges, even after receiving a head injury and getting epilepsy as a result of this.”

To donate, www.justgiving.com/fund raising/footprints forothers