Soldier to walk day and night to London in 120-mile journey in memory of dad
A soldier from Lichfield is embarking on an impressive 120-mile journey to raise money in memory of his father.
Colour Sergeant Stuart Collins, who is undertaking parade duties at the King's coronation, will start his walk for the British Heart Foundation in Lichfield on May 24, and will finish nearly two days later in London.
The 44-year-old is taking on the challenge in memory of his father who died of heart disease in 2019, aged just 62.
Stuart, a soldier in The Mercian Regiment, took on a similar challenge for Ukraine Aid last year after he spent time working with soldiers in the country before the war broke out.
He will continue fundraising for the Ukrainian charity alongside the British Heart Foundation.
The father of five, including his stepchildren, will start his journey at his regimental headquarters in Lichfield, carrying a backpack with daily rations, water and a change of clothing including boots.
He will then make his way to the A5 and keep walking day and night without sleep all the way into central London, where he will stop at the British Heart Foundation’s head office before finishing at the Ukrainian embassy.
His journey will take him through the heart of England and includes passing through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire.
Stuart will be accompanied by colleagues from his regiment and supported by a team including his wife Louise, a nurse.
He has calculated the entire journey will take about 40 hours, with short stops along the way to refuel and treat any blisters.
He said he had originally planned to make the journey earlier but was called up for parade duties at the King’s coronation so put it back to later in the month.
Speaking about his inspiration for the challenge, Stuart said the death of his father Paul from coronary heart disease in November 2019 had been a huge shock to the whole family.
“In a nutshell, one of the arteries in his heart was blocked for several years which he was aware of but none of us knew about until he died,” said Stuart.
“He was only 62 and he was very active but yes he did have a drink and he did smoke and when I looked at his medical records after he died I saw that his doctors had been warning him for a few years.
“This is one of the reasons I want to do this walk - I want to raise awareness of the importance of having a healthy lifestyle as well as helping to raise funds for research into heart disease.
“We don’t know if what happened to my dad runs in the family or not - I have been tested and everything has come back clear for now, but you always have to take positives from the negative and at least me, my brother and our children are aware and know what to look out for."
Stuart hopes to raise £4,000 for charity from his walk and will be taking bright red British Heart Foundation collection buckets along with him and his colleagues to encourage donations from people as they pass through their towns and villages.
Local British Heart Foundation fundraising manager Leya Baksh said: “What an incredible journey Stuart and his colleagues will be making - I am sure his dad would have been massively proud of him.
“Heart disease and circulatory diseases are one of the biggest killers in this country with someone dying from these conditions every three minutes, so Stuart’s efforts to raise awareness as well as funds for vital research are very welcome.
“Good luck Stuart - I hope you don’t get too many blisters and manage to enjoy some of the beautiful countryside you will be passing through on your journey."
