A Tooting resident of 52 years will be walking 1,000 miles to thank his local hospital, St George's.

Darshan Bansal, 74, will be walking the equivalent from Lands End to John O'Groats by car.

He has already notched up 500 miles since May 1 and has raised over £3,679 for the charity thus far. When he reached 1000 miles he would have walked the equivalent of 1/24 of the circumference of the planet or a 1/4 to the centre of the Earth.

St George's is extremely close to Darshan's heart. It's where his children and grandchildren have been born and where he has been treated himself.

He said: "We have seen the amazing job doctors, nurses, paramedics, office staff, and cleaners do here. I want to say thank you for all they have done and continue to do, especially during the pandemic. It is important to put other people first and say thank you.

"Walking 1000 miles in a short space of time for a man of my age is not easy, but I always like a challenge, and it's been good for my physical, mental and social health."

You can support Darshan by donating to his JustGiving page.

Gurpreet, Darshan's daughter said: "Our father is doing a fantastic job powering on with his walk. We are very proud of him for wanting to fundraise for St George's Hospital, as well as his sheer dedication and stamina. Any further donations may even encourage him to walk that little bit more!"

St George's Hospital Charity has thanked Darshan for his efforts in both fundraising and the challenge, adding that he has "inspired" the team to get out and get some steps in.

Darshan finished by saying: "A huge thank you to all of my family, friends, relatives, our local community and St. Georges Hospital for all of the support everybody has shown me."

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