Shropshire hiker to walk 3,000km this year
A Shropshire woman is aiming to hike a minimum of 3,000 kilometres this year to raise money for charity.
Lesley Hammam took up long-distance walking three years ago as a way to lose weight following a serious accident.
During 2019, the 43-year-old from Shawbury has set herself the challenge to hike thousands of miles in the UK and Egypt.
She will complete a number of ultra hikes throughout the year including the 25 mile Easter Walk in Windsor on Saturday.
More than 1,000 competitors will either walk, jog or run either 25 miles or 25k along the Thames Path.
"I'm looking forward to the hike but I'm actually coming back from a bad injury where I broke my knee," she said.
"So I'm treating it as a recovery walk and hope to complete it in between five and six hours."
And in July Lesley is taking part in the 100km Peak District challenge which will take about 24 hours.
She is hoping to raise £3,000 for two animals in Egypt - Animal Care in Egpyt (ACE) and Prince Fluffy Kareem (PFK) which helps horses, donkeys and camels in the pyramid area of Cairo.
The charities are close to Lesley's heart as she splits her time between Shawbury and Egypt where her husband and two children live in Luxor.
Important
"I work for Riverside Foods in West Felton which works between Shropshire and Egypt so I spend half the year there," she said.
"Animal welfare is close to my heart and I've seen the work out in Egypt that these charities do. Both are run by UK expats. They offer free medication to the animals and euthanise those that can no longer go on.
"PFK helps farmers with their horses and donkeys which is so important because for many, their animals are their livelihood. It's very much about helping communities."
Lesley started hiking after a horse riding accident and last year walked 2,500k.
"It meant I couldn't ride professionally anymore," she said.
"So I decided to start walking as a way to lose weight and have lost 42kg in the last couple of years from hiking alone.
"For me it's all about pushing the boundaries and pushing myself a little bit harder each year.
Some of Lesley's hikes will take place in Egypt.
To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Theadventurewithin or totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/theadventurewithin
