Leeds United Gary Speed Walk update on day one with bloody shoes and motorist feedback on Whites

The idea for the walk came from The Square Ball [TSB], a fanzine and podcast, who set out in 2022 to walk the 92 miles from Speed's childhood home in North Wales back to Leeds. It was a tribute to Speed's part in the '92 title win and a positive way to mark the 10th year of the former player's death. Sponsorship and donations amounted to £80,000 for men's mental health charity Andy's Man Club and The Samaritans.

READ: Leeds players challenged to ‘chip in’ by Gary Speed Walk organiser

In 2023 the group set off from Goodison Park, where Speed grew up supporting Everton, and walked 92 miles again back to Elland Road. Last year they took a break but on Monday they put on their walking boots once more, this time in Newcastle, to walk 120 miles back to LS11 with the aim of raising £50k for Andy’s Man Club.

Monday’s walk took the group from St James’ Park stadium to Super 8 by Wyndham Durham, a hotel just south of Durham.

Enda Maxwell, from Leitrim in Ireland told the YEP: “It’s been good. Twenty miles is I suppose a nice introduction. We’re all in good shape on day one, the legs are well and truly loosened. So we’re ready for day two tomorrow. We had a few beeps, a few not so nice words and people shouting out what Leeds are as a football club. Of course they shouted it from a window, they didn’t get out and say it, but that was only one or two. By and large we got lots of beeps and fist bumps.”

There was a £5 cash donation from a shopper in a local ALDI and Katie Watkin, one of the co-organisers of the walk, praised their host hotel for the first stopover. She said: “Me and Nigel went to ALDI off the A1, wearing last year’s walk t-shirt and explained to a couple of other customers what we were doing with a full crate of bananas and some snacks for the morning. I got a £5 cash donation already, which is lovely. The Super 8 in Durham have been fantastic, really accommodating . Kelly the manager has been absolutely wonderful, helping us sort rooms and luggage. I am aware of some injuries - one has blood coming through his white shoes.”

The walk raised £80,000 in its first year and this year's goal is £50,000. The impact of those kind of sums on a grassroots charity like Andy's Man Club is a significant one.

"After the first year, when I spoke to them about it, they said it basically allowed them to take on an extra member of staff," organiser Michael Normanton of The Square Ball told the YEP. "For an organisation of that size, it was massive for them, because they are, for the most part, just run by volunteers, which is incredible in terms of such a great grassroots movement and everything. But at the same time, a big organisation needs a lot of stuff doing behind the scenes. So to have more people able to do that, I think it was a big help to them.

"I would really like to hit 50 grand again. And if we don't raise it through sponsors for the walk alone, we will get some other events in mind, or things we can auction off, little things we can do to try and boost it. I will pimp myself out wherever necessary. And if the [Leeds United] players want to chip in some money as well, they can."

For donations and information visit www.garyspeedwalk.com