Two friends have raised more than £3,500 for three inspirational charities after completing an epic Coast to Coast walk across England.

Alan Goadsby and John Duckworth took on the challenge in support of Elsie’s Story, Alice’s WonderDance and Bebe’s Hive, raising an impressive £3,564.98 including Gift Aid so far.

The pair set off from St Bees in Cumbria on Friday, 4 September, before making their way across the country to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire.

Despite admitting before the challenge that they had “never done anything like this before” and were “not particularly fit”, Alan and John successfully completed the demanding journey, staying in a mixture of campsites, B&Bs, hostels and hotels along the way.

Their motivation throughout the challenge came from supporting the three organisations established in memory of Elsie, Alice and Bebe.

Reflecting on the achievement, Alan said:

“It has now been a couple of weeks since we completed our walk from the West Coast to the East Coast of England for donations to Alice’s WonderDance, Bebe’s Hive UK and Elsie’s Story.

“As of today I am pleased to say we have raised £3,564.98 including Gift Aid which will be split between the three charities.

“We will keep our JustGiving page open until the 19th of November 2026.

“A massive thank you to everyone that has donated to these three amazing organisations, every donation and encouraging comment spurred us on.

“Thank you to Alice, Bebe and Elsie, you powered every step and gave us strength when we needed it.

“Thanks to the families and people at Alice’s WonderDance, Bebe’s Hive UK and Elsie’s Story for setting up organisations that help our communities, you are amazing and we wanted to support you.”

Alan also thanked GABA Clothing for its support, as well as the pair’s wives and families, and Neil Bailey, who transported them to the start of the route and collected them after they reached the finish line.

The friends wore clothing connected with Alice’s WonderDance, Bebe’s Hive, Elsie’s Story and GABA Foundation during the trek to help spread awareness of their work.

Before setting off, Alan explained why the pair had chosen to tackle the Coast to Coast challenge.

He said:

“We have never done anything like this before and are not particularly fit so it will be a challenge that we are not underestimating!

“We have bought clothing for the trek from Alice’s WonderDance, Bebe’s Hive, Elsie’s Story and GABA Foundation, spreading the word about the work they are doing.

“We are not up to running marathons so we opted for a long walk!”

Their fundraising total will be divided equally between Elsie’s Story, Alice’s WonderDance and Bebe’s Hive.

Alan and John’s JustGiving page will remain open until Thursday, 19 November, giving supporters more time to add to the £3,564.98 already raised.