Good Samaritan to walk in to Leeds

It won’t be just a flying visit though as he intends to do a Samaritans listening volunteer shift, answering calls, emails and texts from the wide range of callers before departing the next day to walk to Harrogate where he will do his next shift.

This visit is the ninth stage of a mammoth task during which David aims to walk 6,000 miles to do a shift at every Samaritans Branch in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

He also hopes to link up with the Samaritans Festival Branch at one of the music festivals they will be attending in 2020.

David, whose home is actually on the Knoydart peninsula in Scotland, set off from Doncaster on April 14 2018 where he was given a Civic send off by Doncaster’s Civic Mayor and is undertaking this trek to raise awareness of the work of the Samaritans who provide a 24/7 listening service by phone, text and email, by letter and by attending major festivals.

He is also aiming to raise £100,000 by sponsorship and to recruit 1,000 new Samaritans Volunteers.

David said: “I was inspired to undertake the walk about five or six years ago by a Samaritan who travelled around on his motorbike with huge panniers and high-vis clothing.

“I thought that was a really good thing and so it got me thinking that I could do something like that.

“I then pondered how I might do it and which branches I might visit. So I began to look on Google Maps at the branches and realised that there was almost a natural route between the branches that would lead neatly onto the next one with no need to double back. A route which I could walk.”

To donate and for route details go to: www.thelisteningwalk.co.uk.