Brixton man in Thames week-long charity walk

By Thomas Duffell

A Brixton man is walking 180 miles alongside the river Thames for charity all this week.

Jeremy Hancock, 36, started at Thames Barrier yesterday and will walk roughly 26 miles a day for seven days to the source of the river.

He hopes to raise £2,500 for World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA).

 “I love these sorts of challenges. It’s a great way of giving money to charity,” he said.

“I’m just a huge animal lover, the WPSA is a great global charity and it’s important to me.”

Mr Hancock is a keen walker but this is the first time he has walked for charity.

Though this is not his first walking adventure as he completed his first long distance walk a few years ago covering 95 miles in five days in Scotland, and also has walked in New Zealand.

Mr Hancock said he prefers to walk instead of getting public transport, and that walking has taken over from long distance running after a few injuries.

Working as an actor requires him to be fit, and his latest job with Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular means he performs with 35kg dinosaur suit.

After this there are no other planned charity events but Mr Hancock said he would love to complete the Roof of the World Tour in Nepal and Tibet, a 1000km 30 day cycle one day.

He said: “I’ll definitely do more, but that’s something for the future.”

The next big project for Mr Hancock is the upcoming arena tour of Dreamwork’s How to Train Your Dragon, where he will be acting as a Viking and suit performing.

The WPSA works directly with animals and organisations that ensure animals are treated with respect and compassion.

They campaign to combat the large-scale animal welfare issues and bring about change by helping people understand the importance of good animal welfare.

They also encourage nations to commit to animal-friendly practices.

If you would like to contribute to the WPSA and Mr Hancock’s walk please donate on http://www.justgiving.com/JezzingtonBear.