British man walking from Cheshire to Eiffel Tower for charity

A British man is walking from Macclesfield in the UK to Paris to raise money for charity.

Henry Moores, 21, has already completed the British leg of his trip and is currently walking through Normandy on his way to the Eiffel tower.

He has raised over £14,000 via Gofundme for food banks and UK charities including Age UK and Re engage, both of which help support isolated older people.

He set out on October 21 and hopes to complete the 800km (500 mile) trip in 23 days, reaching the Eiffel Tower on Friday November 10.

For most of the route he has been walking on roads rather than footpaths, carrying a 25kg rucksack, sometimes going up to 35km a day.

Mr Moores spoke to The Connexion from Evreux (Eure).

“It’s definitely hard,” said Mr Moores. “Some nights I can barely lift my arms above my head and my feet really hurt.” “It's a very heavy bag, I’ve got my tent in there,” he said.

“Sometimes the long, straight roads can be boring. I just try to remember the good that I’m doing. That keeps me going.”

There have been some testing moments, like facing down blaring headlights at nightfall on unfamiliar roads, getting lost and having to backtrack for hours, and realising that food shops in France are all shut on Sundays.

“I know the trip would have been much easier in spring or summertime, but part of the reason why I’m doing it is that it’s not easy,” he said.

‘I wanted to help people who cannot afford Christmas’

Mr Moores says he felt the call to adventure after going travelling with a friend.

“I left my job at Sainsbury’s to go travelling with my friend Joel. We had a fantastic time and spent around three weeks away.

“While on the trip, I felt a sense of unfulfillment and a desire to do something out of the ordinary.

“This gave me the idea to try and spread happiness on Christmas Day to those who may be unable to celebrate with others, or afford gifts or enjoy a Christmas meal.”

Mr Moores’ grandmother told The Connexion that she hopes he will find some companionship on the way to Paris.

“In England, he had lots of people from walking groups joining him for a few kilometres,” she said.

However, when we spoke to him, Mr Moores seemed undaunted by the route ahead.

“The weather is perfect really. I couldn’t do this in the heat,” he said. “Tomorrow I’ve got 40km ahead of me.”

Fortunately, Mr Moores can draw strength from the £14,000 raised as well as the 400km already behind him, should the rain - or the access roads to Paris - dampen his spirit.

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