OAP James steps out to support Mumbles sea heroes

A SWANSEA Valley pensioner who walked out one late summer morning has been hailed for his crosscountry charity trek.

James King took just over a fortnight to complete Offa's Dyke Path, walking from Prestatyn on the North Wales coast to Chepstow in the south east, raising £3,222.74 for the Mumbles lifeboat appeal.

"I haven't walked like that for 50 years, since I was in the Scouts," he said.

The 68-year-old carried a tent and camped out under the stars, but also treated himself to a few nights in B&Bs en route.

Mr King, of Clydach, took his final steps on October 1.

He said he had been blown away by the wonderful weather and shifting landscapes during his journey.

"The scenery was stunning," he said. "Every second the vista was changing."

But the wildlife was a little less impressive.

"I saw some interesting fungi, a couple of flowers I wasn't familiar with, various birds and one fox," he said.

"And one chap overtook me with a husky."

Mr King, who owns a general engineering machine shop in Fforestfach, said he was spurred on by the fact that several of his friends and family had sponsored him for every mile completed. This inspired him to finish the 177-mile route, although he reckoned it was closer to 200 miles considering the detours he ended up making to accommodation.

"It was pretty tough," said the grandfather-of-two.

"It was up and down, and I was carrying on average 36lb."

He added: "I never thought of packing it in.

"I was under too much pressure!"

The idea for the walk came after watching BBC wildlife presenter Iolo Williams reporting from Offa's Dyke.

"I thought it looked interesting," said Mr King.

Then came the idea of raising money for the RNLI, to whom he had recently sent a donation.

In return he had received a letter detailing the charity's impressive rescue statistics.

All the money he has raised will now go to the RNLI's Money for Mumbles appeal.

This is seeking to raise £150,000 over the next three years towards a state-of-the-art lifeboat, with the bulk of the £2.7 million price tag coming from the charity's reserves.

Mumbles lifeboat operations manager Tim Conway paid tribute to Mr King's efforts.

"It's only through the efforts of fundraisers like James that we can continue to save lives around the British coastline.

"We're eternally grateful for his efforts," he said.

Visit the website at www.mumbleslifeboat.org.uk for more information.