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Max's WaterAid pilgrimage30 July 2009
On Friday 10 July, Maxim Laithwaite set out from Minehead, the starting point of his challenge to walk 630 miles - the entire length of the South West coastal path. His mission is to raise awareness of global water issues, the work of WaterAid, and its fundraising event Coast Along 2009, which takes place on 12 September.
Max's inspiration came from his mentor Satish Kumar, now the editor of Resurgance magazine, who in the sixties made an 8,000 mile pilgrimage walking from India to Washington via Moscow and London, advocating nuclear disarmament. Like Satish Kumar, Max will make his pilgrimage without carrying any money. He will rely on the kindness of people that he meets along the way to to provide him with food and shelter, and will offer to work on local community projects in return. Max's walk will end on 12 September, timed to coincide with Coast Along 2009, when he will join teams taking part for the last stretch. The South West coastal path runs between Minehead and Poole, passing through Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. For Coast Along it has been divided into sections of between four and fifteen miles in length and each section is graded as easy, moderate, strenuous or severe – so that walkers can choose a path that suits their level of fitness. Some of the path sections are suitable for use by wheelchair users and buggies. Others are a real challenge even for experienced walkers. Previous Coast Along events, in 2005 and 2007, attracted hundreds of participants and collectively raised over £120,000 to help those living in extreme poverty. In 2009 Coast Along for WaterAid is aiming for over £80,000, by having at least one team of between two and seven people on each section of the path. For further information about this event go to www.coastalongforwateraid.org Media enquiries: Gillian Winstone
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Watch a BBC report about Max here
