A CHARITY fund-raising walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall has seen Wellington town Cllr Sean Pringle-Kosikowsky nearly double the amount of money he wanted to collect.

Cllr Pringle-Kosikowsky set a £750 target for the 84-mile walk in support of the South West Heritage Trust and MIND in Somerset.

He battled a sleepless night and gale force winds and heavy rain on one day but completed the trek in just four days despite some estimates allowing for people to take up to 10 days.

And he has so far raised nearly £1,200 with donations still being made daily via his JustGiving page.

Cllr Pringle-Kosikowsky is also manager of the Museum of Somerset, in Taunton, and chairman of Wellington Film Festival.

He set off at 5 am on June 1 from Tynemouth, after dipping his toes in the North Sea, and it was not until day two of the walk that Cllr Pringle-Kosikowsky actually saw some of the wall itself.

He said: “It is remarkable how interesting it is, the wall certainly leaves its legacy.”

Cllr Pringle-Kosikowsky said he had learned ‘so much’ about Hadrian’s Wall during the walk and ‘really enjoyed my time, the scenery, and the history’.

He reached the west coast and was able to paddle in the Irish Sea at Bowness on Solway just after 1 pm ‘feeling very weary in the shins, especially’.

However, he said it was ‘not the end’ of his adventure as he had many thoughts to share with supporters on various aspects of the journey.

Cllr Pringle-Kosikowsky said it was the first time in his life he had ever walked for more than a day, but both charitable causes ‘hold a special place in my heart’.

Supporting local history and mental health were two very different issues, but ‘they represent the stories of individuals and communities’.