Meridian line marathon to raise cash for eye charity
A farmer from south Warwickshire is walking along the Meridian line from England to France to raise money for an eye-care charity.
David Henderson – also known as MeridianMan – set off from Moreton-in-Marsh, Warwickshire, on 9 July and has since walked to Peacehaven near Brighton.
He plans to cross to Le Havre after walking 300 lengths of Brighton Pier to compensate for the distance across the English Channel to Le Havre. He will then pick up the Meridian just south of Paris. His trip will end in Lourdes.
The meridian line (or zero degree longitude line) is an imaginary line which runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and divides the eastern and western hemispheres of the world.
Mr Henderson said he had decided to make the walk, as he had recently been diagnosed with type-two diabetes and so needed to do more exercise. “I chose the Meridian as a guideline when I went to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and I had not heard of anyone else doing it,” he said.
“I chose Lourdes as my destination because I like France and it’s where miracles might happen, and it’s close to the Meridian.”
The charity he is fundraising for is called Orbis, which strives to eliminate avoidable blindness and restore sight in the developing world. Orbis works closely with local communities, governments and hospitals to design programmes that increase local skills, improve healthcare facilities and foster awareness of eye health.
You can keep up to date with David’s progress by visiting his blog. There is also a link to a page where you can sponsor him.