Katie Belcher is running 177 miles along Offa’s Dyke Path, to help raise money for St Michael’s Hospice, with an incredible £3,900 already raised!
Offa’s Dyke Path is a 177 mile (285 Km) long walking trail. It is named after, and often follows, the spectacular Dyke King Offa ordered to be constructed in the 8th century, probably to divide his Kingdom of Mercia from rival kingdoms in what is now Wales.
The Trail, which was opened in the summer of 1971, links Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow on the banks of the Severn estuary with the coastal town of Prestatyn on the shores of the Irish sea.
It passes through no less than eight different counties and crosses the border between England and Wales over 20 times.
The Trail explores the tranquil Marches (as the border region is known) and passes through the Brecon Beacons National Park on the spectacular Hatterrall Ridge.
In addition it links no less than three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty – the Wye Valley, the Shropshire Hills and the Clwydian Range / Dee Valley.
The Trail passes through many different types of landscape. The upland stretches in the Brecon Beacons and Clwydian Range can be hard going in poor weather or visibility.
The flattest stretch is the section which largely follows the River Severn and the Montgomeryshire Canal. Elsewhere it is largely a case of gentle ups and downs.
Katie explained the reasons behind her epic journey:
“St Michael’s Hospice is a charity very close to mine and my families heart, we have seen first hand the amazing work their brilliant team do.
“All of the incredible staff and trained volunteers at St Michael’s are committed to improving the quality of life for not only their patients, but of their patients families and carers too, all free of charge.
“To put that into perspective, it costs £5.4 million a year to care for families living with terminal illness and only 10% of the running costs are covered by the NHS, therefore St Michael’s rely on people like you and I to take part in their fundraisers, shop at their retail outlets, play their lottery and make regular donations to raise the necessary funds to enable them to continue to provide this invaluable care service.
“I was lucky enough to run the London Marathon for them back in 2021, but on May 4th (My Dad’s Birthday) I will be taking it up a notch and running 177 miles along the Offa’s Dyke Path, solo.
“I will be running for my Aunty, my Nan; who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer, my very brave sister and everyone that has been and continues to be affected by this cruel disease.
“I know that times are tough for us all right now, but I would love it if you could help me reach my fundraising target of £1000 by donating whatever you can to this fantastic and important charity that rely on us all to help them continue to care.”
To donate, please visit – https://www.justgiving.com/page/katierunswales?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fkatierunswales&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
You can track Katie’s progress by visiting – https://track.trail.live/event/katie-runs-offas-dyke?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2jK70Og-aMAtuMc1KgyF-jOnwtSs9DvWHeGWeyzPEmhnxgtBtrMbPYtQ8_aem_AboReL2OM2PaMJ52cd6xvZPUm_IoJln9nAmDHFy87cUVr-rwfLUDCmXv6-liK4SKkyXxt56ib5kBVWyIFXxxdYhi
