A NORTH East hero has nearly achieved the unconquerable by travelling on foot from his home town of Middlesbrough to Windsor to collect his MBE.

Mike Hind is a personal trainer from Middlesbrough and he made it his mission to deliver food and essentials across Teesside during the coronavirus lockdown.

When Mike was told he would be receiving an MBE he decided to travel down south in an unconventional way.

The dad of three set off on January 8 and his aim was to get to Windsor within 24 days, covering 250 miles, all to raise money for Armed Forces charity SSAFA.

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His aim is still to raise £25,000 and so far he has raised a total of just over £21,000.

Speaking to the Northern Echo, Mike said: “If I don’t manage to raise the £25,000 I’ll just have to set off again.

“It’s been a massive challenge, not just physically but mentally, we’ve nearly done it though and I’m so grateful to everyone who has donated.

“We’ve had loads of support since we set off. We’ve had schoolkids cheering us on and whenever people ask us what we’re doing, they’re always really encouraging which has been a big help.”

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Mike has been documenting his journey on social media, giving followers updates on his progress.

In a post earlier today, Mike said: “Today I will be resting up, a physio appointment and then filling in all the data from the past 20 days.

“So far I have taken 497,368 steps and I have the final four miles on Sunday.”

Mike was thrown into the spotlight during his philanthropic work in Covid lockdowns and as a result of this, he received a lot of attention on social media, much of it very positive, but unfortunately Mike was also a victim of online trolling.

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He said: “This has definitely put things into perspective. I can’t believe the amount of support we’ve had, people have been so kind.

“I’ve just seen a woman waving at us. She said she’d been following us on Facebook and she gave us a box of chocolates and a big cuddle and said what we’re doing is amazing and honestly I’ve never felt so emotional in my life.”

Battling the physical strain this kind of expedition takes, Mike said he had shin splints and at least 30 blisters on his feet.

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“It’s really opened my eyes to what the UK has to offer. Everyone wants to go abroad but I have seen some really amazing places and different ways of life during the last 20 days,” Mike said.

Mike and his team reached Slough late afternoon on Thursday (January 27) and will walk the final four miles to Windsor Castle this Sunday with his family.

To donate to Mike’s Just Giving page, click here.

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