Beyond my wildest dreams: Frank’s charity walk raises more than £19,000
Frank Stephen admitted he was “astounded” at the response to his fundraising walk from Inverness to John O’Groats after being greeted by cheering supporters at the finishing line.
There were hugs and handshakes as the retired vet completed his 14-day trek on the John O’Groats Trail coastal route in aid of Alzheimer Scotland. He has raised more than £19,000 on his JustGiving page with more to be added.
Frank’s wife Moira was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2019 and has been a resident at Seaview House care home in Wick since August last year.
Frank (74) was greeted by a crowd of at least 150 on Sunday afternoon as he strode through the John O’Groats Trail archway, saying later he felt “as a fresh as a daisy” – even though he exceeded the trail’s official 147 miles by some distance and took a hike up Ben Bhraggie for good measure.
He told his supporters: “I really am totally touched and overwhelmed. Your messages and the encouragement have been fantastic and helped to keep me going.
“I just cannot believe how much you’ve donated to Alzheimer Scotland. It’s beyond my wildest dreams, the amount of money that has come in.”
Among the welcoming party were daughters Jo and Aileen, along with Jo’s children Anya (5) and James (3), who unfurled a banner saying “Well done Grandad”. Frank’s three sisters were also there.
Isobel Stevenson and Susan Brass of Alzheimer Scotland were on hand to hang a medal around Frank’s neck and present him with a bottle of whisky.
Before setting off on the challenge, Frank had spoken of the importance of having good friends and how valuable it is if they are able to spend some time with a person who has dementia. He and Moira, a retired primary school teacher, will have been married for 48 years this July.
“I am absolutely astounded and astonished by the generosity of people,” Frank said as he took the weight off his feet on a bench outside Café Groats.
“People kept saying they were coming to meet me but I never imagined there would be this number. I just can’t believe it.
“But I do want to make the point that it’s not just about the money raised – it’s also trying to raise awareness about dementia and trying to get across how important it is to have friendship, help and support.
“If you can go and support people with it, speak to them, I think that is really important and I hope a bit of that comes out of it. That would mean as much to me as the money, to be quite honest.”
By Monday afternoon, the amount raised online was £19,110, with other pledges and donations have still to be added. A final total will be announced in due course.
“What’s on the JustGiving page is only part of it,” Frank pointed out. “There’s a lot more.”
He covered a total of 174 miles, after venturing off the planned route one day and breaking the journey with an ascent of Ben Bhraggie on the Golspie to Brora section of the route. “It was fun, and the views from the top are fantastic,” he said.
Top Stories
Reflecting on the walk as a whole, Frank revealed: “The thing that really helped me was that I had different people accompanying me on different days, and the chat and the crack and the humour between us all…
“There are harder and easier legs. Once you’re north of Helmsdale most of the legs are harder but the coastal scenery is just amazing.
“I would thoroughly recommend anybody to go and do bits of it, and have a look at what’s around them.
“I can’t believe that I’ve lived so near all this for 50 years and I’ve only become aware of it because I’ve done this walk. That has been a real bonus.”
Frank was joined on parts of the journey by another long-distance walker who was making his way up the full length of the mainland from Lizard Point to Dunnet Head.
“It has been amazing, a wonderful experience,” Frank added. “What kept me going was the amount of money that people had donated, and some of the comments and the encouragement that I got.”
Aileen and Jo both live near Edinburgh, while Frank’s sisters Irene, Alison and Mary had travelled up from the north-east.
Originally from Aberdeenshire, Frank moved to Thurso in 1973 to join D S MacGregor & Partners. He became senior partner in the veterinary practice and is well known to many in the farming community and beyond across Caithness and north Sutherland.
When asked what he was most looking forward to, having reached the end of his journey two weeks after setting off from Inverness Castle, Frank replied: “Probably getting a dram.”
