“I may rest a while," says Penistone based ex-serviceman after raising £50,000 for Gurkha Welfare Trust

Jim Morton, 64, started his fundraising journey, during which he walked the circumference of the British Isles, in 2021.

It was a trek that took him to near breaking point, suffering setbacks which included plummeting off a cliff and nearly being washed out into the sea. But after spending three days in a hospital in Inverness Jim was quick to get back to work and finish what he started.

“It’s the old saying, if you fall off a horse you get right back on it and that’s what I did,” said Jim.

“This was a walk I wanted to do ever since I was seven years old, growing up in Longley, and after I retired it seemed like the perfect time to start it and raise money for Gurkhas Welfare Trust in the process.”

After he completed his 9,500-mile hike, Jim recorded his journey in a book called “I may be gone a while” - a misquotation of the Arctic explorer, Captain Lawrence Oates, who famously said “I am just going outside and may be some time”.

Jim stuck with his title as he thought it was a fun Yorkshire way of saying the phrase - Jim has since sold all of his 1,000 books that he started with.

Jim joined the Navy in 1976 at the age of 16, serving on HMS Gurkha – a Tribal class Frigate ship where he first encountered the Gurkhas, and so began his long-standing respect for the British regiment based in Nepal.

“They are such loving, humble, friendly people and very handy to have in battle,” Jim explained.

Over the past three years Jim has gone on more walks and held talks with numerous organizations throughout South Yorkshire with every penny raised going to the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

He also walked along the beaches of Normandy in 2022, visiting every landing site, finishing on Sword beach where his father had landed 80 years prior – remarking that it was a special moment for him.

During this hike he said that he was nearly brought to tears when he met a lady, Madame Gondree, whose family café was the first building to be liberated from German occupation.

“She was a lovely lady, she still has all of her marbles, bright as a button, she was 84 when I met her, and it was an honour to have my picture taken with her,” he said.

Jim will now enjoy a well-deserved rest after reaching his target, even though he had plans for another hike but was pleasantly surprised that he reached his target this early.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me reach this target and the people who gave me a place to rest and recharge during my walks,” he said.

"It just goes to show that even with all the doom and gloom it's nice to see that there are so many good-hearted people still left in the world.”

Jim has since been awarded the prestigious The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International Award, joining the likes of Neil Armstrong and Mother Teresa, and the Proud Barnsley Award.