A MAN who completed a 490-mile pilgrimage walk in Spain has raised more than £1,400 for charity.
Ken Hodgson, 63, of Holmfirth, completed the route in 28 days, a week quicker than he expected.
Father-of-three Mr Hodgson raised £1,088 in direct sponsorship and a further £330 on his Just Giving web page.
The money raised has been presented to the Huddersfield-based Forget Me Not children’s hospice.
Mr Hodgson walked the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route between St Jean de Pied Port in the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain, in September and October.
An experienced long distance walker and former marathon runner, he averaged 17 miles a day but walked as far as 27 miles in good weather and on flat terrain.
“I didn’t have any problems apart from sore feet at the finish,” said Mr Hodgson.
“I wanted to do the walk for the physical challenge, to raise some money and for spiritual reasons.
“At my age it gave me the time to think about what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Retired university lecturer Mr Hodgson thanked his sponsors for their support and added: “There was a lot of empathy for the cause.”
