LIVERPOOL hero Michael Cullen, better known as Speedo Mick, stopped off at the South Court hotel this week for some much-needed rest during his mammoth five-month trek across Ireland and the UK.
Speedo Mick has taken on the challenge to hand out cash raised from his previous fundraising adventures, and to help him raise even more money for worthy causes.
He said: “The reason I’m doing the walk is primarily to give back to the people and the communities who have supported me and the fundraising I’ve done in the past. The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a huge strain on the finances of so many worthy charities, so I’ll do anything I can to help.
“Homelessness and disadvantaged young people are two issues very close to my own heart as I’ve been through those struggles and I know how hard it is to come out the other side,” revealed Mick.
“In my life, I’ve been in some dark, lonely, hopeless places and for me, one the most rewarding parts of my fundraising has been to help people who are facing what I have faced.”
Superfit Mick, who has twice been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award, first hit the headlines in 2014 by swimming the English Channel in just under 16 hours – despite being a novice swimmer.
In 2017 the football fan walked 700 miles from Everton’s Goodison Park ground to the French city of Lyon, raising funds for Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
And in 2019 he completed a 1,000-mile walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End and raised half a million pounds, far exceeding his initial target of £100,000.
His newest mission, the ‘Speedo Mick Giving Back Tour’ started on May 31 and will cover 2,000 miles, taking in five capital cities – London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin and Belfast.
Mick will walk up to 20 miles per day across the five months wearing just his trademark blue undies, as well as a swimming cap, Everton scarf and a pair of boots.
His main goal is to identify good causes in communities that are deserving of some of the funds he has already raised through previous missions, with a focus on underprivileged or homeless young people and mental health initiatives.
However, he also wants to raise more money to donate in future, with the footie fan just £350,000 away from hitting the £1million mark since he began in 2014.
Anyone who wishes to donate to Speedo Mick’s Giving Back Tour can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/speedomick
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