A DETERMINED hiker wore through five pairs of shoes as she walked more than 2,000 miles in a year to raise funds for Shelter Cymru.
Dani Thomas, from St Brides, Newport, completed Ultra Challenges across the UK, as well as spending hours on a treadmill at work, to raise hundreds of pounds to help people facing homelessness in Wales.
“I immediately felt compelled to help,” said Ms Thomas, who works for Monmouthshire Building Society. “Shelter Cymru’s work is essential and they inevitably need funds to keep doing it.”
The 34-year-old said it was during a session led by the people and homes charity at her work, back in 2022, that she decided to take on the endurance walking challenge.
“One of my favourite things to do outside of work is walking, so I wanted to put that to good use,” she explained. “I hoped it would not only empower me, but encourage other people too.”
Ms Thomas started her Steps For Shelter Cymru challenge in January 2023, aiming to walk 2,340 miles in 12 months, which is further than walking from Land's End to John O' Groats and back again.
To keep on track, she needed to average 6.5 miles a day, or 45 miles a week, and decided to sign up to 10 Ultra Challenge events, starting with 66 miles (106km) on the Isle of Wight in April.
Ms Thomas admitted that with a month to go, she doubted whether she could achieve her goal, but she stayed strong, and completed her challenge on 29 December - with two days to spare.
“I don't even know where to begin,” she said. “I'm tired and achy but I did it! I'm so proud of this achievement.
“I achieved a lot in 2023, but this will be what I take forward with me as a symbol of not giving up.”
Ms Thomas spent 780 hours walking in 2023 and raised more than £800 for Shelter Cymru.
Penny Salter, Fundraising Officer for Shelter Cymru, said: “We were absolutely blown away by the challenge Dani took on last year to raise money for Shelter Cymru - we’re so grateful to her and her colleagues at Monmouthshire Building Society for their incredible support.”
Shelter Cymru helped more than 22,000 people last year, including nearly 7,000 dependent children, who were in housing need or experiencing homelessness.
There’s still time to donate through Monmouthshire Building Society’s Just Giving page: justgiving.com/page/monmouthshirebuildingsociety2023
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