A HAMPSHIRE fundraiser was forced to abandon a 675-mile sponsored walk after being knocked out in an accident.

Mike Denny, 63, is head of fundraising at Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington and was hoping to raise £35,000 for the complex by walking from Minehead to the New Forest.

But he was hit by a cyclist after completing just two days of the gruelling challenge.

Mr Denny said: “The collision was pretty hard. I went through a hedge and straight into a drystone wall, which knocked me out.”

The fundraiser was taken to Barnstaple Hospital with severe concussion. He was confident of restarting the walk after a few days but was diagnosed with labyrinthitis and was advised to abandon the walk.

He said: “I was very disappointed and upset but the vertigo and dizziness were very disconcerting. We had no choice but to suspend the challenge.

“I'd been through all the possibilities beforehand, like twisting an ankle or breaking a leg but never even considered that a cyclist would ride straight into me.”

Mr Denny is now planning a 100-mile walk from Bridport to Lymington in August.