What Cheshire bus driver did after TV documentary left him horrified
'I knew I needed to do something to help'
Bus driver Neil Atherton from Widnes who walked 150 miles to raise money for foodbanks(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
A Cheshire bus driver has raised more than £10,000 to help people battling food poverty after what he saw on a TV documentary horrified him. Dad Neil Atherton, 46, from Widnes, raised an incredible amount of money after challenging himself to walk five kilometres every day in December for people struggling in food poverty.
The dad was inspired after watching a BBC documentary on food poverty set in Yorkshire and realised just how bad the situation is across the country. "It made me realise how many people rely on free school meals to feed their children every day," he said.
"And when the schools are closed during the summer holidays, parents rely on foodbanks and that's when they're hit and struggle. I knew I needed to do something to help."
Last year, Neil completed a number of challenges with December seeing him complete five kilometres every day for 31 days and raise around £11,000 for the same foodbanks, reports the Echo. Each day he walked in different places across the north west and Wales from Rhyl and Wrexham to Birkenhead and Blackpool and was joined with different people every walk, with the aim of creating as much awareness of how bad the food poverty situation is in our towns and cities.
Neil out on one of his walks being accompanied by friends, family and kind strangers(Image: Neil Atherton)
Neil said: "The weather was awful, it was cold and dark and nobody wanted to do these walks in December but people came out every single night to walk with me and I can't thank them enough. Our aim of doing it in December was to highlight that not everyone was having wonderful Christmas' like we see on the TV and social media and some people are living in food poverty. The dark December nights must be the hardest for some people so every tea time we headed out to shine a light on this.
"I wanted people to join me so I didn't just look like a daft lad from Widnes. We also did the Liverpool Santa Dash and anything I could do to raise money for foodbanks. By day 18 I was having a meltdown, but we got there and have given back to these foodbanks who do incredible work."
Since starting his fundraising following the death of his aunt Neil says he has raised a total of around £31,000. He wants to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been there and supported him throughout his journeys. You can continue to donate to his fundraiser on the GoFundMe website.