A WEST Auckland woman has set herself an ambitious challenge to walk a million steps in just 40 days to raise £1,000 for the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAAS).
Katie Metcalfe set herself the target to lose a little lockdown weight and raise funds for charity at the same time. She said: “I had thought about doing something in January to challenge myself. I’m not really into running, although I have done the Race for Life in the past.
“I thought a million steps was a good challenge. At first, I was going to do it all in January, but that wasn’t realistic.
“Doing it over 40 days means I’ll finish the challenge the day before my birthday so I’ll be able to have a treat.”
The 34-year-old is working from home and is averaging 25,000 steps – about 12 miles”- each day fitting in mammoth walks in the countryside, supported by her partner Anth Bayles.
Ms Metcalfe added: “I chose GNAAS as my charity because I think it’s a fantastic cause. The work they do to help save lives of people in our local area is amazing and they’ve landed on our little village green several times.”
The GNAAS rescues hundreds of severely injured patients throughout the year and their doctor-led teams deliver life-saving treatments at the scene of an incident whether that is on a fell top or a roadside. Last year the charity responded to 1,640 call-outs
She said: “I was out doing my walk last week at the Sun Inn and one of the GNAAS helicopters landed in a field next to me.
“I took a video of them landing and shared it on my JustGiving page to highlight why I’m doing this. I got a few more donations from that.”
She is keeping a track of each step walked with a Fitbit and admits an achilles’ heel injury which she picked up when there was ice on
the ground has put her a little behind her daily step schedule.
She added: “I’m about 5,000 behind I have already walked 155 miles, which I can’t hardly believe.
“I’m just determined to hit my target and I hope I can smash the £1,000 for GNAAS. I’ve already raised nearly £500 so I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me.”
Anyone interested in making a donation to the Great North Air Ambulance can visit Ms Metcalfe’s fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/katie-metcalfe7.
