Hemel is on charity bus walker Neil's third fund raising journey

The 44-year-old Arriva project lead began his epic walks in aid of the Trussell Trust – which raises awareness and supports a nationwide network of food banks - after seeing a documentary about school children who had to go hungry during Covid because they relied on school meals and their schools were shut.

Widnes-based Neil says: “It really upset me and I decided to walk to raise money and awareness.

"I’d never done anything like this before but I’ve already raised more than £11,500 from my previous two walks and my goal was always to complete a trilogy.

"My third and last stride takes place in July when I’ll be walking 125 miles across seven of Arriva’s bus regions over a period of seven days.”

Neil will be in Hemel on Friday July 14 and will cover the 18 mile Arriva 302 route to Welwyn. The next day he’ll do the final leg – 11 miles from Wood Green to Trafalgar Square where he’ll be joined by several of his colleagues for a celebration.

He was nominated for a BEM which was announced in the King’s New Year Honours List. He received it at Tatton Park last month and was also invited to a recent Buckingham Palace garden party.

"It was amazing,” he smiles. “Everyone made you feel so welcome. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

> If you’d like to support Neil, go to his Just Giving page.