Karen Penny is a 53-year-old mum from South Wales is currently walking around the ENTIRE coast of the UK and Ireland raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK The journey will be about 20,000 miles, and will take her an estimated three years to complete. For the next 9 days Karen will be walking in Dumfries and Galloway.
Karen is raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK – the UK’s leading dementia research charity – after losing both of her in-laws to different forms of dementia. Her fundraising target is £100,000 and she is already nearly 40% of the way there.
Karen – who we think will be the first woman to do this journey non-stop (ie without going home or breaking her journey) – has been making incredible progress since she set off from South Wales in January.
In the first seven months of her challenge she has already walked the complete circumference of the island of Ireland, and the entire Welsh coastal path, recently passing the 3,000 mile milestone.
She arrived in Scotland yesterday, and is today walking from Annan to Glencaple. Her estimated route for the next week or so is:
Tuesday 20 Aug: Glencaple to New Abbey
Wed 21 Aug: New Abbey to Rockcliffe
Thurs 22 Aug: Rockcliffe to Auchencairn
Fri 23 Aug: Auchencaim to Mutehill
Sat 24 Aug: Mutehill to Sandgreen
Sun 25 Aug: Sandgreen to Creetown
Mon 26 Aug: Creetown to Wigtown
Tues 27 Aug: Wigtown to Garlieston
Wed 28 Aug: Garlieston to Glasserton
Thurs 29 Aug: Glasserton to Port William
She thinks that the Scottish leg of her journey could take her up to a year to complete, as she plans to walk the circumference of “at least” 20 Scottish islands as well as the mainland coast while she is there!
Karen – who has appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio Two, BBC Wales and national radio shows in Ireland, as well as receiving national newspaper coverage in England and Ireland – is an enthusiastic and engaging person who has amazing tales to tell about her journey so far. She has been bowled over by the kindness of people that she has met along the way – with offers of cups of tea, meals, company as she walks and places to stay overnight.
Despite having a tent in her rucksack that she carries with her as she walks, she has found that much of the time kind supporters have offered her accommodation instead – everything from a bird hide to a castle! She has been met and praised by the Mayors of Dublin and Liverpool.
If you would like to interview Karen while she’s in Dumfries and Galloway then please do get in touch. She is an extremely entertaining interviewee, a funny and determined lady with a great story to tell. Her fundraising page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thepennyrollson and her Facebook page (where she has 2,800+ supporters cheering her on) is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1790360527648427/
For more about Alzheimer’s Research UK visit https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/our-research/what-we-do/
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