The 70 year old will be setting off on his walking challenge from St Peter’s Gate in Nottingham city centre on 23 August at 10.30am.

His route will take him to Portsmouth, where he’ll board a ferry to Santander on 30 August. With permission from the captain of the ferry, Ian hopes to complete 12 hours walking whilst onboard, before arriving in Spain on 1 September. He’ll then continue walking from Spain to Portugal where he hopes to arrive at his final destination, Pedras Lawn Bowls Club in Cabanas, the first week of October. “Many touring teams from the UK and Ireland will be visiting Pedras to play lawn bowls and they will all be donating money to his charity.”

Ahead of Ian’s charity walk, close friend Graham Hewitt wrote a moving letter which reads as follows:

“I don’t think he will be annoyed with me for stating that he is not the tallest man in the world but in his small frame there is a dynamo of energy that most men of seventy do not possess. For years I have been waiting for his batteries to lose power but it appears, if anything that they are being recharged regularly by his deep desire to help people, especially blind people. He has a determination and persistence that is admirable and his charisma and love for life rubs off on the people he meets.

His persistence as a young boy got him into the navy where he served as a chef for thirty years. I didn’t meet him until he arrived at Pedras Lawn Bowling Club many years later. I was immediately attracted to his cheerfulness and his helpful disposition. He took no persuading to bowl for twenty-four hours with me to raise funds to buy a pool table for a local orphanage. After the twenty-four hours playing bowls I went home at 9:00 am to sleep and to rest but he stayed on to play against a touring team. This guy is a machine.

A few weeks later I saw him in a day-glow jacket picking up litter along the N125. The large plastic bags ran for a hundred metres every morning along both sides of the road. The council would then collect them. He became a familiar sight with his bottom sticking out of some bush or other as he cleared the roadside from Cabanas to Tavira.

Then one day he told me that he was going to walk the coastline of Britain. At that time I was planning to ride a motorcycle across Europe and Asia but here was Ian going to use human power to walk 4,500Km. At that time he told me he would walk nearly 50Km per day and sleep under bridges if necessary. I could not believe that such ‘short legs’ (sorry Ian) could manage such a feat. We talked about clockwise or anticlockwise, daylight hours, where to sleep, rest hours, washing clothes, plasters, and the total cost but he had only one thing on his mind - Guide Dogs for the Blind. His passion was clear to see and he was determined. He kept all his friends informed along the full length of this marathon journey and he reported to us about the many magnificent people he met along the way. Of course, he completed it all, but most importantly he raised much-needed money for training guide dogs.

Then, only last year, just as a passing remark he told me that he was going to walk to every Premiership football ground whilst a match was being played. Again, it was not in an attempt to gain fame or to set records it was to raise money for his beloved charity. His determination and boundless energy succeeded once more in pushing him every kilometer until he had completed his mission.

Nothing surprises me now with this man and when he told me he was going to walk from the UK to Tavira this year I was not shocked or surprised but could only admire the man and his determination. Not only will he succeed but undoubtedly he will earn much-needed money again to train guide dogs for the blind. I have talked with him about routes across the north of Spain along the coast or further inland including the pilgrim route Camino de Santiago. Once he arrives in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain Ian again has a choice. He can either stick to the coast or head further inland into the hills. Whichever way he chooses to go we have to admire this man and his determination to help people particularly those suffering with blindness.

I know that everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Ian will wish him well for this, his latest adventure. If you ever do see Ian picking up litter along the N125, walking along the trails in Spain or Portugal or playing bowls at Pedras Bowling Club, Cabanas then please wish him well or ask him about making a contribution to a much-cherished charity.”

For more information and to donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/ianswalkies