A London below-knee amputee has begun a 6,500 mile walk around the UK coastline for charity on Saturday.
Mark Pattenden, who uses a prosthetic leg, set off on his unassisted journey from Bournemouth beach to cover 249 daily marathons while carrying 60kg of equipment behind him in his pulk.
Mr Pattenden aims to raise £50,000 for Arctic One Foundation this year through his JustGiving page - £10,000 of which will go towards any prostheses for a chosen individual.
The ambassador for Arctic One said that the journey “sounds simple” but it’s not.
He said: “The idea here is to travel on foot as close as I can to the edge without falling off.
“There are going to be times when getting close to the edge pulling the trailer is going to be difficult to say the least.
“Some may say that I’m mad but that’s what makes a challenge challenging right?”
One previous benefactor of a prosthetic from the foundation is this year bound for the Paralympic Games.
The remainder of the money will be used for the Forward Motion scheme run by the charity that specialises in artificial limbs.
Mr Pattenden, who lost the lower half of his leg more than 20 years ago, added: “I am a big believer in paying it forward because I have personally experienced this through the kindness of so many people.
“Not only does it make a difference in someone’s life but it also gives someone else the opportunity to do the same.”
