A chef and his friend have completed a “mammoth” 34-mile (55km) charity walk from Congleton Park to Old Trafford to raise funds for a dementia charity, after witnessing the “devastating” impact the condition has on patients and their loved ones.
Teenager Thomas Grindon, (18), of Warslow, works at the Jervis Arms in Onecote, Staffordshire Moorlands. He said he took on the challenge in memory of his manager’s mother, who lived with the “cruel” disease for eight years.
On the pub’s social media, Kirsten Boyd, who is the joint owner with her husband Richard, posted that they were “very proud” of their young chef.
It read: “Tom has kindly chosen to walk in memory of my mum, Kornelia, who sadly passed away this September a few days after her 80th birthday. Please support Tom and his friends on their journey in any way you can; words of encouragement, a wave or a donation would all be very welcome.”
Mr Grindon said the walk, which totalled 61,552 steps, was his way of contributing to the “fight” against a condition that “robs” people of their memories, independence and connections.
He was joined on the trek by his friend Tom Roberts, (20), of Macclesfield.
Before they set off, the young men were greeted at Congleton Leisure centre by local resident Helena Mountford, who had read about their expedition on social media and had contacted them a couple of days before to say she would endeavour to show up and wave them off.
Ms Mountford arrived at the leisure centre at 8.45am to give the boys some words of encouragement, which they said they greatly appreciated.
“We didn’t expect her to be there and thought it was nice for her to take her time out of her morning to say hello. She told us what a great cause it was that we were walking for,” said Mr Grindon.
The pair completed their nine-hour and 30-minute hike half an hour faster than they anticipated after they stopped en route in Bollington at Barrows Butchers who donated towards their total.
The duo raised £1,910, smashing their initial £500 target.
Once they made it to Stockport, staff at the Stables Kitchen in Bramhall Park presented the twosome with a free meal, which they said provided them with the fuel to keep going.
The pair said that even though each kilometre tested their resilience it was “nothing” in comparison to the daily struggles that families challenged by dementia faced.
The companions said that although they regularly kept active, it was a planned move not to undertake any specific training beforehand.
“We took this approach as we wanted to challenge our physical and mental limits as much as possible and felt it wouldn’t have carried the same sense of accomplishment and achievement if we knew we could complete it with ease,” said Mr Grindon.
Mr Roberts said the Macclesfield canal, with its “unforgiving straight stretches”, presented a “seemingly endless slog”.
He continued: “The repetitive scenery tested our mental stamina, with each step blending into the next. But the real challenge came in Poynton, where the conditions took a dramatic turn. The once-passable paths transformed into a bath of thick mud and treacherous puddles, creating the atmosphere of a battlefield.”
Added Mr Grindon: “Each step sank our boots deeper, and the cold, damp air wrapped around us, pushing our endurance to its limits. Those were the moments that made us realise we were in for a true challenge, and we fully embraced them!”
(Photos: Tom Grindon and Tom Roberts).
