A Bow Street man has raised over £1,500 for charity by walking 255 miles across 27 days.

Emlyn Mainwaring, 38, who is a 'TSB bank Money Confidence Expert', has walked as many miles as it would take to travel to Scotland, and he already plans to walk 500 more next year for Children in Need.

He said: “As a branch, we’ve always raised money for charity, for the last four years we’ve raised money for HAHAV. As part of a nationwide fundraiser, it was decided that TSB branches should raise money for Children in Need.”

Children in Need wasn’t the only thing TSB staff had marked in their calendars, nor Emlyn’s only inspiration for taking on this specific challenge. TSB itself was celebrating its 10th anniversary as an independent bank.

Knowing the first TSB bank opened in Ruthwell, Scotland, in 1810, Emlyn decided he would challenge himself to walk the full 255 miles between Aberystwyth’s TSB branch, and the over 200 year old branch in Ruthwell. Though, the reality of the country spanning task he had just agreed to take on quickly dawned on him.

Emlyn said: “Staff at our branch were discussing what we could do, and I said ‘I like walking, why don’t I take on this challenge. I wouldn’t say that I regretted it immediately after I said that, but I knew what I’d just signed for was going to be tough.”

To complete the ‘tough’ challenge, Emlyn has been walking up to 11 miles every day across 27 days. He started on Monday, 9 October, and began walking in laps around Aberystwyth, as well as exploring the backroads and forests surrounding Bow Street.

Though he achieved his goal without leaving the county, Emlyn still faced the full challenges of taking on a country spanning Odyssey. Even today, over a month after he finished on November 16, his body continues to remind him of the scale of the challenge he undertook, feelings of pain and tension in his legs after he developed Shin splints from all the walking.

Distance hasn’t been the only challenge Emlyn has had to overcome. The father of two juggled this the fundraiser alongside raising his children, and working at TSB Aberystwyth. In some cases, his personal life, and his commitment to the challenge overlapped, as he would spend one night pacing around his living room, dodging family members and racking up as many miles as possible, all whilst tuning into the Rugby World Cup final.

“There was one night where I did about three miles pacing up and down in the living room while I watched the Rugby World Cup Finals. That was very arduous, I only did it on that one day. I’m a snooker player, and I will have walked a couple of miles around the tables when I was out having a game.

“The biggest challenge during it was battling against the elements, it was pouring down almost every single night. I’d finish my tea, look out the window and see it teeming down. After each session, I’d be coming back in the car drenched.

“The support and donations for Children in Need spurred me on when times felt tough. I was really proud of the total amount raised, I had a target to raise £250, and raised £1591, about six times my original target. I’m very grateful to everyone who has helped me achieve this.”

For the last 11 miles of his challenge, Emlyn was joined by TSB Aberystwyth Branch Manager …. Dolan who tagged along with him as he walked those final miles.

If you would like to donate to his fundraiser, you can find it through this link: Emlyn Mainwaring or searching ‘Emlyn Mainwaring’ on the website.