A man from Alton is hiking 1,200 miles down national trails from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

James Tombling, who is 53 years old and has lived in Alton since 1974, set off on his length of Great Britain trip three weeks ago.

Speaking to the Herald on April 17, James said he had completed 400 miles and was “around three days from England” - which he said would be “a major milestone”.

His wife Sarah said: “For many years he kept thinking if he could achieve this epic hike. To motivate him to undertake this adventure, he decided to do it for the charity Alzheimer’s Society.

“He is regularly posting updates on his Instagram page. Alzheimer’s and dementia is affecting so many families, so raising money for a worthy cause and raising awareness is so appreciated. This is something positive and I believe it is inspirational.”

James added: “I’ve got about six weeks to go and my wife will bring me some new hiking boots when she comes to visit me next week. I only took one pair as I didn’t want to carry any more, but these are shot to pieces!”

James is hoping to raise at least £8,000. To make a donation to his fund visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/jonathan-tombling-1?utm_medium=qrcode&utm_source=offline

A spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Society said: “We’re the only dementia charity to tackle every aspect of dementia and give help for today and hope for the future.

“We give vital support to help people manage their condition today. We also give hope for the future by funding new treatments that could improve people’s quality of life, while also being the loudest voice campaigning for a better life for people living with dementia.”