Community / Charity fundraiser to travel by foot from England to Italy
Jonathan Raymond is raising money for three local charities as he ‘runs, walks and crawls’ from Canterbury to Rome
THREE local charities are in line for a welcome funding boost thanks to a man who aims to travel by foot from Canterbury in the south of England to Rome.
Jonathan Raymond, who bought the island of Vaila in 2023 and is now based there, expects to cover around 2,300km – equating to the distance of a marathon a day.
The 53-year-old will follow the ancient pilgrimage route Via Francigena, which runs through mainland Europe, and expects to complete it in around 59 days.
He has experience in running ultra marathons in the past but said this project will be his greatest effort yet in terms of distance and duration.
The money raised will be split between Mind Your Head, the Shetland Bereavement Support Service and the Walls Swimming Pool Association.
Raymond plans to leave on 16 February and has a sizeable fundraising target of £100,000.
However nearly £35,000 has been pledged at the time of writing – meaning the three charities are in line for decent funding boost already.
People can donate to the fundraiser through this link.
When asked what the inspiration was behind taking on the mammoth effort, Raymond said he studied medieval history at university.
“It’s always appealed to me to do a pilgrimage, and this is the biggie,” he told Shetland News.
It is also a jubilee year for the route, which occurs every 25 years.
“I think normally it takes four/five months to do, but I haven’t got four/five months so that’s why I’ve got to do it quite quickly,” Raymond added.
“I’ve run a fair few ultra marathons and things – I’ve done the Marathon des Sables, I’ve done stuff in Antarctica and the Gobi desert and Ecuador.
“Obviously it’s nothing of this length or duration.”
He explained that he picked the three local charities for different reasons.
“Shetland Bereavement Support Service helped out a friend of mine, I’m a big one for mental health so Mind Your Head is the mental health charity, and the Walls Swimming Pool is around the corner from me, so it’s a community thing,” Raymond said.
Meanwhile Raymond added that he feels “very lucky” to now own Vaila, which he said is an “incredibly special place”.
The island, which is located off Shetland’s West Mainland and features the grand B-listed Vaila Hall as well as a watchtower, was put on the market in 2022 with an asking price of at least £1.75 million.
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