Woman finishes 75-mile walk for church in two days

A woman has completed a gruelling 75-mile (120km) walk in just two days in aid of a town's church.

Katie Simpson started her challenge at Christ Church in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, on 3 July and walked to her family's caravan in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, with an overnight stop in Chester.

She decided to do it after learning the Grade II-listed church needed repairs to its heating system, which were expected to cost more than £7,000.

"I was very naive… the walk was a lot - a lot physically and emotionally," Simpson, who was accompanied by her sister-in-law Chenesse, told BBC Radio Stoke.

After arriving at the hotel in Chester at the end of the first day, Simpson said she was suffering with leg pain and at one point, when she tried to get up, her body "went into shock".

"I got up on day two and nearly threw the towel in," she added. "We were exhausted, we were in pain."

They were also not helped by the fact they had been booked on the top floor of a hotel, which did not have a lift.

Luckily, Simpson's wife and children met them there and helped the pair carry their bags up the stairs.

Simpson said she arrived in Prestatyn the following day to find all their family members there to greet them.

"All the support we've got – I can't believe how much we got and how it got us through it… It's incredible," Simpson added.

Asked why she decided to get involved in the first place, she said: "I'm obviously a little bit insane."

Simpson previously said she was inspired to support the church because they welcomed her same-sex wedding after she had been refused by other venues.

"We were turned away by quite a few," she said. "Being in a same-sex relationship, I didn't think we'd get much love, but everyone has been so welcoming."

Simpson has so far raised more than £1,200, which will go towards the cost of repairing the church's flue pipe – a vent used to safely expel gases.

Ben Barrs, the church's organist, said the repairs were expensive because of the nature of the old church building, but they needed to be done before the cold weather returned.

"We're all so thankful for the wonderful donation we're going to get," he added. "We'll see the benefits of this in the autumn and winter."

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