St Neots mayor, Cllr Stephen Ferguson is halfway through an epic 152-mile charity walk along the full length of the Ouse Valley Way.

Cllr Ferguson is raising money for local charities to make up for some of the events in the calendar that will not be able to go ahead in his mayoral year, due to coronavirus restrictions.

Cllr Ferguson started at the source of the River Great Ouse Syresham, in Northamptonhshire, on Saturday morning. He intends to complete his gruelling task on Sunday morning at King’s Lynn, close to the sea, after consecutive 20-mile walks each day.

“An important part of the role of a mayor is raising funds for local charities,” said Cllr Ferguson.

“Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, all of the usual fundraising balls, dinners and events have been cancelled, so I felt that I needed to do something drastic.”

“It’s been a tough walk so far, I hadn’t anticipated how much of the route would be through wet meadows and ploughed fields, but I have had some wonderful support from my friends and family along the way. So far I have raised more than £,2500 for my chosen charities, and the generosity of my donors is inspiring me to finish this epic adventure.”

Mayor Ferguson’s chosen charities are:

The 3 Pillars Feeding the Homeless charity whose volunteers help to feed and support the homeless and most vulnerable people in St Neots, Huntingdon and Peterborough.

St Neots Inclusive Playpark Foundation which is dedicated to providing inclusive play equipment that will allow disabled young people to play alongside their friends, family and peers in a safe environment.

Revamp the Ramps, which is a community group working to providing a safe skating area at the St Neots Skatepark, which is based at the Riverside Park, in St Neots.

The Ouse Valley Trust, which is a new charity formed to conserve and restore the landscape, wildlife and heritage of the Cambridgeshire River Great Ouse and surrounding area.

INFO; If you would like to follow the progress of Cllr Ferguson or sponsor him, there is more information at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/st-neots-mayor.

There will be more updates online at The Hunts Post throughout the week.