Matt Chambers, from Wantage, has just reached the halfway point in a challenge which will see him go from Land’s End to John O’Groats on foot – all to raise money for national homelessness charity Crisis.

At just 19, Matt’s hoping to become one of the youngest people to complete the walk continuously. He started his walk on 12th April and hopes that he’ll have fought off the blisters and covered the 1,215 miles to reach the finish line by the end of June.

As a keen walker, Matt wanted to take on a long-distance challenge, and due to travel restrictions because of the pandemic, he chose to keep the challenge close to home and tackle the length of the UK.

To date, Matt has raised over £3,400 for Crisis which will help the charity continue its work with people experiencing homelessness across Great Britain.

Crisis offers one to one support, advice and courses for people experiencing homelessness in 11 areas across England, Scotland and Wales, including Oxford. Crisis works closely with its clients to put them on a path out of homelessness for good, providing vital services through education, training and support with housing, employment and health.

Matt said: “I’ve loved the walk so far. Some of the best bits have been walking over the hills when the sun’s shining and getting tasty food after a big day’s walk. I’ve loved meeting people including some friends and family along the way! Some of the hardest bits have been in bad weather. Getting soaked through when there’s nowhere to go inside to shelter at the moment hasn’t been fun - I’m looking forward to pubs and cafes reopening.

“I’ve done shorter walks before, but this is the first time I’ve done a walk for two and a half months straight! I’ve always believed that homelessness is something we should be doing more about. A lot of people want to help, but don’t know what to do when they see people who are homeless on the streets. Donating to Crisis is something a lot of us can do to help, so I wanted to raise money for them by doing the walk.”

Nic Hogarth, Fundraising Manager at Crisis Skylight Oxford, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Matt for taking on such a gruelling challenge, all to raise money for Crisis. It’s thanks to the support of people like Matt that we’re able to continue our support to help people experiencing homelessness across Oxfordshire and Great Britain out of homelessness, helping us move towards our aim of ending homelessness for good.”

Support Matt’s walk here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matt-to-john-o-groats