Speedo Mick passes through Bournemouth on 2,000 mile trek

Mick Cullen, also known as Speedo Mick, is walking the latest stint of his six-month long trek around the UK and Ireland from Bournemouth to Lymington.

Having started his challenge on May 31 in the Outer Hebrides, Mick has walked around 1,500 miles to date and raised over £80,000.

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Mick said: “It is going well. I got up late today, I seem to be getting up later and later every day. I am just so tired to be honest, but eventually I got up, I got my knickers on, and I was out the door.

“It is not as long a walk today. It is only to Lymington but after you have done 1,500, only to Lymington doesn’t come close to how it actually is.

“Well lately it has been round about 20 miles, but it ranges between 15 and 20 miles. We want to finish the walk so we are trying to manage it, but my feet are killing me, my knees are killing me, and I am a bit exhausted as well.”

Mick was stopped by numerous people through Bournemouth, Southbourne and Christchurch offering donations as well as snack, sweets and chocolate for him to have on his journey.

From Lymington, Mick will walk along the coast to Brighton and then to London where he will spend a couple day enjoying a well-earned rest with his wife and dog.

From there, he will work his way back up north, stopping at Leeds, Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke, Sunderland, Manchester and Newcastle on the way and then finish his challenge in Liverpool, which he aims to reach by December 15.

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“So, we are up to £80,000 now, which is a real milestone,” Mick added. “But that takes the total that has been fundraised since I have been running around in my undercrackers is like £800,000.

“I said to a few fellas when I started out, they asked me ‘but what do you want to do with this?’ and I said ‘do you know what I like to do? I would like to raise £1million’ and that is nearly happening.

“You always get people saying, ‘oh is that a bit too far?’ but I like to challenge myself. I am not really taking any notice of anybody or any negativity, I just want to crack on and see what happens. I roll the dice man; I roll the dice every time I do a challenge.”

The purpose of Mick’s challenge is to raise money for small independent charities that have suffered due to lack of fundraising during the pandemic.

He said: “I want to help give back to small charities along the way through the speedier foundation which is a registered charity itself. So, we decided, instead of doing our own project, we are just going to give money out and help.”

“All charities have been unable to fundraise for months through the pandemic so we are just trying to give back to them charities by giving them financial support, because their services have been dropping because they have been unable to fundraise and their services are vital in our communities and if they all stopped tomorrow, you would know about it.

“These charities are literally the safety net for people who have fell through the system.”

But he says the ongoing support and kindness of people across the country have helped to spur him on.

Mick added: “We are raising loads of smiles. Everyone always smiles at me when I walk past, whether they know what’s going on or not.

"Never underestimate the power of a smile; it can literally turn someone’s day the right way up if they are having a bad day.

“That’s my reward when I see all the smiles. There wouldn’t be a rucksack big enough in the world to put all the smiles that I have seen on this walk.”

To donate to Mick's fundraiser, click here.