Ollerton man Shaun is part of barefoot relay challenge

Shaun Keightley, 49, a firefighter based at Edwinstowe Fire Station, put himself forward to run the 84th leg of a 122-leg journey from Land’s End to Edinburgh.

Every leg of the relay is being completed barefoot, come rain, shine or storm.

All the volunteers were inspired by the successful achievement of Major Chris Brannigan, also known as the barefoot solider, who completed the same challenge in 30 days in full military kit, over the summer to raise money to fund pioneering research into treatments for rare disease Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), which his young daughterHasti, was diagnosed with in 2018 and for which there are no treatment options,

His achievement resulted in him becoming a finalist for the Pride of Britain Award.

Shaun said: “After joining Chris on his 26-mile leg from Ollerton to Doncaster in July, I was in awe of his determination to complete his 700 mile barefoot challenge.

"I witnessed the raw pain he was going through and I’m honored to take on this challenge to raise awareness and funds for CdLS, and to follow in the footsteps of Major Chris Brannigan, who completed the entire grueling 700-mile challenge in order to raise money for research and hopefully a treatment for his daughter and other children living with CdLS.

"I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve received and to everyone who has donated.

"My part of the relay will start at the Memorial Garden in Ollerton Village, at 9.30am, and I will be running barefoot 7.5 miles up the A614 to the junction of the A1, where the next ‘barefoot soldier’ will start on their challenge."

Obama the llama, Hasti’s favorite soft toy, will act as the baton in the relay and the volunteers are sharing photos and videos on social media using the #barefootrelay at https://www.instagram.com/hopeforhasti/.

Shaun added: “Having the company of Obama the Llama, Hasti’s favourite soft toy, has been a great reminder as to why I’m doing this.”

Follow the challenge on social media using the hashtag #HopeForHasti when sharing anything.

To donate, click here.