A ‘Virtual Pilgrimage’ by a well-known local fundraiser in memory of a young Saundersfoot teenager whose life was cut short drew to a close on Saturday (June 19) morning, with a magnificent £1,770 raised!

Susan McKehon recently took on the challenge of walking 914 miles to raise money for Bone Cancer Research Trust in memory of the Daniel Bridle Memorial Fund of Bone Cancer Research Trust.

Daniel lost his brave battle against bone cancer on June 17, 2014 at the tender age of 18.

To date, Susan (who was ably assisted along the way by Iwan Anthony, a neighbour’s grandson) has raised a magnificent £1,770 for the cause, which included cash donations from many people, along with an enormous amount of Gift Aid.

A small celebration took place at The Meadows, Pentlepoir to mark the occasion of Susan completing the challenge, enhanced by the bubbly which was donated by Leigh, Geraint, Elizabeth and Morgan (not forgetting Dylan the dog) at the ‘Pit Stop’ provided by them on her last lap!

“I want to thank all those people from the bottom of my heart who have donated and supported me along my route and of course, the back-up team, Brian my husband, who kept me well-fed and watered throughout, not to mention all the other jobs!” she said.

The pilgrimage took Susan 133 days from February 7 which started with her walking a mile with paces measured to cover the appropriate distance from her front door to the conservatory, and within two days, she was out on the road!

“Looking back on the calendar, I walked 10.8 miles during my first full week outside and by the second week of May my weekly total had reached 71.4 miles!

“There were some mornings when the prospect of getting up out of bed and walking the pilgrimage seemed far too daunting, but I’m glad I kept at it for many reasons although the fundraising was the main objective.

“We were in lockdown when I started the walk and I soon began to notice how many people would come out to exchange a few words, albeit socially-distanced or waved from windows in the Covid-safety of their own homes or vehicles.

“I started with just the birdsong and the sound of the odd vehicle and the whistle of a distant train to accompany me but by the end of the journey, had made more new friends than I ever thought possible!

“Lockdown inspired many people to start home improvement projects and I’m sure they probably winced at the sight of me approaching with all my questions aimed at improving my own DIY skills! Sorry guys and gals if I held you up with your various projects!

So, what’s next for fundraiser Susan, well another virtual challenge it seems!

“Having ‘virtually’ visited the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela and enjoyed a well-earned night’s sleep, I set off to catch the bus to the airport, however, on packing my belongings, I discovered that at some point during the pilgrimage, I had mislaid my passport!” she continued.

“What to do? Well, what the heck! Why not just walk back to Paris? And that is just what I am ‘virtually’ doing - another 914 miles - 10.8 miles walked since Sunday morning, only 903.2 to go!

“I couldn’t give up the waking - from a fitness, weight (1 stone 4 lbs. lost) and friendship point of view (plus I love putting the recycling receptacles away for residents on the circuit on a Monday morning) so it seemed the obvious thing to do to keep walking!

Anyone who wishes to donate to Susan’s cause can head to the following link: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/susan-mckehon1 at the moment.