‘I loved it’ South Shields man completes charity walk from South Shields to Spain

Norman Mosley, from South Shields has completed the mammoth challenge of walking from his home in South Shields to his property in Spain for cancer charities.

The 66-year-old offshore rigger decided to embark on the walk as a way to raise money and awareness for cancer charities after he himself had a scare of prostate cancer.

He explained: “Luckily I didn’t have prostate cancer, but I want to make people aware and encourage them to get seen if they have concerns.

“I decided to do it for cervical cancer as well, as many women face similar issues and I wanted to make it fair to raise money for both charities.”

Norman began the walk which he titled ‘Wor Hoose to Wor Hoose’ on Saturday, August 16 and completed his journey on Wednesday, September 20.

So far, Norman has raised around £6,000 for Prostate Cancer UK and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

Speaking about his challenge, Norman explained: “I loved every single bit of it! I loved the sights I got to see, not that I had much time to enjoy them!”

Norman explained that each day he woke up with a determined and positive attitude to keep going, which helped him to carry on with ease.

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He was joined by his son David two weeks into the walk, who drove his campervan five miles ahead and provided Norman with fresh water and food.

Norman said: “I want to say a huge thank you to my son, David. I couldn’t have done it without him. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d still be walking now!”

The pair used to campervan to sleep but towards the end of the challenge, slept in hotels. “The campervan was getting a bit uncomfortable,” Norman said. “With blowing the air mattresses up every night as well, the main thing was to keep strength up!”

Norman documented his challenge via social media, uploading regular videos to share his day with those following his journey.

“Family and friends, and people that I don’t even know followed my story all the way through and donated. I am so thankful for the support,” he explained.

Norman described the walk as “a doddle”, explaining that he found it much easier to do due to how much he was enjoying it.

“I will never regret doing this, it was a really enjoyable experience”, he said.

Norman also wanted to express his gratitude to South Shields Football Club and Sunderland Football Club, who he said are backing him and helping towards raising funds.

Despite Norman completing the walk, he is still fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, with two charity nights being held in both South Shields and Spain.

If you would like to donate, please visit Norman’s GoFundMe page.