Ben’s Mission

Running every day for 1 year to raise awareness and support for LEAF.

Ben’s Story
After arriving back home from a few years of traveling and just as things started to return back to normal. (What is normal again?..)

A dreaded pandemic engulfed our everyday lives and our futures were changed for the foreseeable.
Although it felt like the world as we knew it was descending into chaos and we found ourselves waiting for the inevitable appearance of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I however found an opportunity to catch up for lost time, being at home everyday with your family may seem like a nightmare to many but we had an absolute blast! We found consolation in each other, had craft days, cooked line-caught mackerel on the fire, foraged for mussels and seaweed and most importantly we spent quality time together!

In my eyes the tribe was back together and no mater what happened in the world we would be able to overcome it not problem at all! What I’m saying is I realised that what was important in my life was my family, friends, health and the beautifully unique environments this planet created and allowed us to call home. I realised more than ever during lockdown that my happiness and mental state was vastly improved when I spent more time outside in Mother Nature. (Especially when your limited to 1hr per day)

I began to nurture the idea of taking on a personal challenge and that it would make sense to raise as much awareness and funds along the way with the idea that I could do my bit to preserve and protect the Environment. After a season working on a lobster fishing boat and with the second lockdown and Brexit fast approaching I decided it was time to leave the UK and try and start a fresh in Germany (whilst it was safe and legal to do so). Whilst spending Christmas at my girlfriends parents in the South-central German countryside, I was compelled in such a beautiful area to start running again after months of not really doing anything! instantly my mood was lifted and I was reunited with a long lost love of mine -

My dear friend Running! ❤️

I got it into my head that I could run everyday for a year and that could be my challenge!
This idea didn’t leave my brain and I became quite obsessed with the idea and the challenges it may bring. If I’m honest with you, I was terrified of the idea and I couldn’t stop convincing myself that I wouldn’t be capable of doing such a thing.(The reason I didn’t start until the 1st of February.)
But here I am today, still unsure, taking every new day as it comes and just putting one foot in front of the other!

Ben is currently fundraising through GoFundMe - you can donate here.

Or you can donate directly here (leave a note to tell us you’re donating for Ben’s amazing feat so we can keep track!)