David Matthews of The Listening Walk reached Hitchin yesterday, 4,400 miles into his 6,000 mile journey to visit every Samaritans branch in the UK and Ireland.
David Matthews set off from the Doncaster Samaritans branch on 14 April 2019 with the aim to walk to every Samaritans branch in the UK and Ireland, raising valuable funds for the charity and to build local awareness of the work that Samaritans do.
David has walked 4,400 miles of the 6,000 so far, saying 'So the end's in sight'. He arrived at Hitchin on 22 June 2021, with Samaritans of North Herts & Stevenage being the 155th branch he's visited (46 to go!).
I'd never been to Hitchin before but I was amazed by how friendly everyone was as soon as I arrived - people saying "hello" as I walked through the town. After days of rain, the sun shone finally came out in Hitchin! And it was great to have a friendly welcome from a load of volunteers at the branch on Nun's Close.
David Matthews
Volunteers from Samaritans of North Herts & Stevenage met outside the branch to welcome David and presented him with some local-themed gifts: Hitchin coasters by Dan Brammall and some Lavender and Peppermint foot cream from Hitchin Lavender to soothe those tired feet!
Local fancy dress legend Nick Jemetta also made an appearance to cheer David on, dressed as a power ranger – one superhero to inspire another.
It's hard to imagine what David has experienced in all the days, months and years he's been doing the Listening Walk. It's hard to imagine a nicer, friendlier person too! David has already raised lots of funds to help support our callers. Perhaps most importantly, he's raised awareness of Samaritans in every town he's visited. We were delighted to welcome him to Hitchin Samaritans and wish him lots of luck on the rest of his journey.
Ilsa Hawtin, Branch Director
David will be visiting Luton Samaritans next then Milton Keynes. During his walk he's talked to people from every type of background, including lots of homeless people. He has endless stories of all the time he's been walking – mainly of kindness and generosity of the people who have supported him in all the different places he's visited. He's gone through seven pairs of trainers so far and given out 10,000 cards with Samaritans contact information.
He's raised over £16,000, including Gift Aid, so far for Samaritans. He's also raised awareness across the country, including one encounter with a group of teenagers who had started mocking him but ended up taking Samaritans contact info after David stopped for a chat.
His first cash donation was from a shop cleaner in Scunthorpe, a single mum who gave him everything in her purse at the time. The largest donation he has received to date is £500.
He's covering all his living costs and equipment from his own funds – every penny raised is going towards providing emotional support for Samaritans callers.
David carries all his essentials, including a tent, in a rucksack on a specially adapted mono walker, which clips to a harness around his waist. He's staying at everywhere from basic campsites to Samaritans volunteers' houses.
Visit David’s fundraising page to make a donation to The Listening Walk and find out more.