A charity hero who treks thousands of miles wearing only a tiny pair of blue swimming trunks visited Ayrshire.
Mick Cullen – famously known as Speedo Mick – descended upon Ayrshire, visiting the likes of Kilmarnock, Ayr and Glenapp Castle near Ballantrae in an epic bid to walk 2,000 miles across the UK and Ireland.
Speedo Mick, 56, from Liverpool, hopes to hand out up to £250,000 raised from his previous adventures during his mammoth five-month walk, which will see him walk up to 20 miles per day.
Everton fan Mick hopes to give back to charities who have suffered as a result of the pandemic.
He said: “Homelessness and disadvantaged young people are two issues very close to my own heart as I’ve been through those struggles and I know how hard it is to come out the other side.
“In my life I’ve been in some dark, lonely, hopeless places and for me one the most rewarding parts of my fundraising has been to help people who are facing what I have faced.”
Super-fit Mick, who has twice been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award, first hit the headlines in 2014 by swimming the English Channel in just under 16 hours despite being a novice swimmer.
He turned up to Everton’s next home game in a pair of blue Speedos with ‘Channel Swimmer’ written on his chest, and his famous look was born.
His newest mission, the ‘Speedo Mick Giving Back Tour’ started from Stornoway and will end in Liverpool.
He’ll only be wearing his trademark undies, as well as a swimming cap, Everton scarf and a pair of boots.
Speedo Mick also wants to raise more money to donate in future, with the football fan just £350,000 away from hitting the magic £1 million mark since he began in 2014.
Mick said: “The last year has been very tough for me personally, I’ve struggled with depression and at times it felt like it was never going to end.
“The Giving Back Tour has given me my purpose back after a really tough year and it’s helped me see light at the end of the tunnel.”
The Speedo Mick Foundation was set up in 2020 and Mick and a board of trustees work on helping good causes in the fields of homelessness and disadvantaged young people.
Applicants are welcome to seek help from the foundation and can apply here.
To donate to Speedo Mick’s Giving Back Tour, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/speedomick
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