Furniture retail professional David Tracey has raised £11,000 for industry charity The Furniture Makers’ Company by trekking one of the UK’s longest hiking trails, the Coast to Coast, for the Step 2 It campaign.
The Coast to Coast walk is a 192-mile trailway that crosses the breadth of northern England, starting in St Bees, Cumbria, and finishing at Robin Hoods Bay, North Yorkshire. Devised by fell walker Alfred Wainwright, the walk passes through three contrasting national parks – the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park.
David started the challenge on 7th September and completed it in 16 days, finishing on 22nd September. At the end of the trek, David had racked up 204 miles in distance, with 25,300ft of elevation, which translated to 487,000 steps and 14lbs of weight loss.
Completing the hike has been a long-held ambition of David’s, and he decided to take on the challenge in 2021 as part of The Furniture Makers’ Company’s Step 2 It campaign, which has been inspiring individuals and companies in the sector to get active and raise funds for the charity.
David, who has worked in the furnishing industry for 40-plus years in senior and director level roles in companies including Dreams, Harveys, Hygena, MFI, Moores Furniture Group and Wesley Barrell, raised a total of £11,114 (including Gift Aid).
He says: “I’m so grateful to everyone who has sponsored me and donated to The Furniture Makers’ Company, a charity close to my heart. The support really did inspire me to get the job done, through some very challenging days – thank you all.
“It was a wonderful experience, and we met some great people along the way, both on the walk and at the small family businesses that hosted us, fed us and in some cases helped us with our essential intake of hop-infused water. I could not have undertaken and completed the journey without my dear friend Steve Atkinson, my constant companion for 16 days, whose positive can-do attitude and, when needed, tough love, got us both through to the end.”
David Woodward, master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, says: “What can I say, other than I’m in awe of David’s magnificent achievement. Thank you so much for undertaking such a challenge for the Step 2 It campaign and raising such an incredible amount that we can use to support many people in the trade who have fallen on hard times.”
There is still time to sponsor David via his Virgin Money Giving campaign page.
