Nine-year-old Simeon Williams and dad Richard are spending the half-term holiday walking the St. Cuthbert’s Way across the borders of Scotland and Northumberland to raise money for two worthy causes.
The pair travelled up from their home in Ipswich and started their 100km journey in Melrose.
The walk was Simeon’s idea after becoming inspired by a talk on wolves at his local zoo.
And when he learned that the endangered animal used to inhabit the Scottish Borders he persuaded his dad to help raise some much needed funds.
The pair set off from Melrose intending to sleep in a tent however the Scottish weather dictated a change of plan, and they stayed the first night in a hostel in Jedburgh.
Dad Richard said: “Simeon has wanted to walk the St. Cuthbert’s Way since we visited the region last year on holiday.
“We got the sleeper up to Edinburgh and thankfully the Borders Railway allowed us to travel to Tweedbank before setting off.
“His mum Suzie and younger sister Bethany have written inspirational letters to motivate us on our journey.
“I’ve never been to the Borders before, but everyone was incredibly friendly. Even the taxi driver who took us to Jedburgh gave us a donation.
“I’ve been carrying the tent but Simone has carried his sleeping bag and clothes which weights around 5kg.
“We did a practice walk to see if he would be able to do the 100km and he showed that he could.
“The whole family is very proud of what he is doing.”
Simeon said: “I want to raise awareness and funds to protect the wild creatures of our world, before it is too late for them.
“Wolves are incredible animals and they are under threat due to habitat loss. I want to do what I can to help them and all the endangered creatures of the world.
“It’s been tough going at time because of the weather but it stopped raining when we crossed the border into England.
“I think I’ve raised £425 so far but I hope we can get some more donations. I told all my class mates but I don’t know if they were paying attention but my teacher made a donation.”
All the money raised will be divided equally between:The Wolves and Humans Foundation which is a UK based charity dedicated to conserving Europe’s large carnivores - the wolf, brown bear and lynx, and Action for The Wild Charity, the Colchester Zoo's charity which supports conservation projects worldwide, helping to preserve and reintroduce vulnerable and endangered species to the wild.
A GoFundMe page has been set up at www.gofundme.com/WalkingForWolves to help raise funds for two separate wildlife charities.
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