A parish priest has completed a 924km run raising more than £5,000 for a Salford charity.
Father Chris Gorton, from the Parish of St Cuthbert in Bolton, completed the impressive challenge today to support the charity Salford Caritas.
The charity works alongside people who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage, discrimination and homelessness across the diocese.
Father Gorton completed the run along the Camino de Santiago – the equivalent of running from Manchester to Dundee and back.
He was joined by Bishop John Arnold, the chair of the Salford Caritas, for the last week of the challenge.
The eleventh Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford was able to show his support walking several stages of the Camino.
Patrick O’Dowd, the director of Salford Caritas, said: “We’ve been watching Father Chris’s progress closely and have been in awe of his grit and determination.
“I’d like to thank him for deciding to support Caritas in this way and for the amazing effort that he has endured both in training beforehand and on the Camino itself.”
He continued: “Challenges like this really do make a difference to the lives of local individuals and families at a time they need it most.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming him back soon and congratulating him in person – and in the meantime hope he can put his feet up and have a well deserved rest!”
Salford children have joined in the effort by taking on their own challenges, running or walking a set distance each day of his run.
The efforts are part of the charity’s Every Step campaign which encourages people to come out of their comfort zone and push themselves to raise awareness and money for those in need.
The JustGiving page has already seen support from 117 people and continues to grow – you can find the donation link here.
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