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A vendor who saved a moped rider’s life is trekking 1,650 miles for charity

Garry Buchan is hoping to raise £2,000 by walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats this summer

Big Issue vendor Garry Buchan has already attracted attention for his selfless deeds this year after leaping to the aid of a stricken moped rider in April.

Now, the Bristol vendor is hoping to walk an incredible 1,650 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats this summer to raise £2,000 for The Big Issue Foundation, our charitable arm.

He has already proven his trekking prowess by conquering the West Highland Way and the Great Glen in his native Scotland in 2016 in aid of charity Help for Heroes. He then went on to cover 190 miles last year to raise £495 for The Big Issue Foundation. But he’s now set himself the ambitious target of taking on five times that distance for his latest adventure, and will be setting off on August 1.

“It’s about letting people know that there’s a big problem with social exclusion and poverty and, even though I’m homeless myself, I just want to make a small difference,” said Garry, who was forced to sleep rough after he lost his job as a foreman of construction sites in Aberdeenshire. “I know that £2,000 isn’t a huge amount of money but the money I can raise for the Big Issue Foundation helps give people the chance to try and better their lives.”

Sponsor Garry for his challenge here.

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Image: Rebecca Bernstein

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