In February 2022, Colin came across a campaign on social media: a modest yet meaningful challenge, walk 28 miles in 28 days for Alzheimer’s Research UK. It resonated with him in a way a previous campaign hadn’t. The earlier challenge involved walking 10,000 steps a day for arthritis awareness and, while well-intentioned, it felt abstract. He found himself asking, where exactly would 10,000 steps even take him? It didn’t help that the campaign ran during a dreary, rain-soaked October.
But the Alzheimer’s challenge was different. He knew from his house to the Blue Bridge and back measured roughly a mile and a half. It was tangible. Achievable. At that time, following lockdown, he had reached his heaviest weight, over 20 stone. Yet, after just a few walks, he discovered he was capable of more than a mile a day. February’s weather was a mixed bag: brisk and bright one day, bitter and blustery the next. He adjusted accordingly. By month’s end, he’d walked over 100 miles. That might not sound extraordinary at first glance, just over three miles a day, but what was remarkable was the result: a weight loss of two and a half stone in just 28 days.
To keep himself motivated, and perhaps to inspire others, he began posting short daily videos on TikTok, detailing his mileage, steps taken, calories burned, and even converting the distances into kilometers. He continued walking as the months rolled on and, by the following February, he had clocked a staggering 2,500 miles. For context, that’s an average of nearly 6.84 miles a day. He didn’t post every day, but the videos became a touchstone of the journey.
Fast-forward to today and the numbers speak volumes: over 5,000 miles walked, countless challenges undertaken, and now he’s signed up for yet another one, 55 miles in September. A fitting number. After all, 55 million people worldwide are estimated to live with dementia. In the UK alone, that number is nearing one million and is expected to reach 1.5 million by 2050. Staggeringly, one in three people born today may develop the disease in their lifetime.
His TikTok videos have grown along with his journey, from simple clips with background music to month-long mini-series exploring key themes. One, in particular, focused on Alzheimer’s and is well worth a watch.
More recently, Colin has paid tribute to the bicentennial of the Stockton and Darlington Railway with another series. In it, he explores the monumental impact railways have had on our modern world, including a visit to Wylam in Northumberland, the birthplace of George and Robert Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth, pioneers who helped reshape industry and transport.
Each step, each mile, and each video has been driven by a singular mission: to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and support the essential work of Alzheimer’s Research UK. You can learn more, and support the cause, at: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org
At present, there is no cure. But with every mile walked, and every voice raised, we inch closer to hope, and in the process Colin is now over four stone lighter.
Phill & Andy,
Around Town, Aycliffe Radio.