Aith RNLI welcomes charity walker

A man from Kent who gave up his job to raise money for the RNLI will be taking his round-Britain walk to Shetland on Sunday.

Alex Ellis-Roswell was yesterday completing the Orkney stage of his marathon hike round the coast of Britain, which he began on 3rd August 2014. It marks effectively the half-way stage of his journey from South East England, but Mr Ellis-Roswell has already almost reached his £50,000 target.

Mr Ellis-Roswell decided on the undertaking after his father, a great charity supporter, died in 2013. He intends to visit all the RNLI lifeboat stations in the UK, which will see him walking a total of 9,500 miles around the British coastline.

RNLI Aith press officer Liz Boxwell said: “He will be walking around Shetland during the following week, so please look out for him, and donate if you can. Alex will also be hoping that people will come forward with offers of food and accommodation, so that he is able to continue with his walk.

“It is a fantastic effort and I’m hoping that folk in Shetland will give him a big welcome and I’m sure they will – Shetland hospitality is great.

“I was just teling my children about it this afternoon – it is a huge undertaking for him to give up such a big bit of his life. If it was not for people like him doing fund-raising then we would not be able to continue our job of saving lives around the coast of Britain and Ireland.”

The money raised by Mr Ellis-Roswell in Orkney is being distributed among the three stations there and it is understood the money from Shetland will also be distributed locally.

The RNLI provides a voluntary 24 hour search and rescue service, and saves around 23 lives per day. It relies on fundraisers to be able to continue to save lives at sea.

If you wish to support Mr Ellis Roswell and the RNLI you can make a donation through his facebook page; www.facebook.com/alexellisroswell or you can donate by visiting www.bt.com/donatetolifeboats