BY SOHINI MITTER From Mashable

Anything for a good cause!

63-year-old Brit Patrick Baddeley has walked for over 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) through India’s east coast for charity, Times of India reports.

He set out from India’s southernmost tip, Kanyakumari, last October, walked six hours a day, and crossed four states and three dozen towns to reach Kolkata earlier this month.

Baddeley’s K-Walk, named after his late daughter Katie, was started to raise funds for Future Hope, a not-for-profit that cares for street children in Kolkata.

And he’s managed to raise £11,757 ($12,715) from 124 supporters on fund-raising platform JustGiving, thus crossing his original target of £10,000 ($10,815). The funds will be used for the home, schooling and healthcare of street and slum kids.

Baddeley’s nearly five-month-long journey through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal has been chronicled on the K Walk Facebook page.

It culminated March 1 at the Future Hope office in Kolkata.

And there was a warm welcome too.

But the man from Oxfordshire in England is no stranger to India, a country he’s been visiting since the 1970s. “Before I embarked on the mission, I had some idea about the weather, food and people. My knowledge worked to my advantage,” he says.

He first visited Kolkata-based Future Hope in 2000 along with his family of “Indiaphiles” and has been associated with the organization ever since.

In an interview to Sbcltr, an online arts and culture magazine, Baddeley says, “I am a big cricket fan and drew a comparison between a team chasing a big total of 400 runs and me setting out on a long walk. Cricketers always say ‘Do not think about the total that has to be scored but concentrate on scoring the first 10 runs, then the next 10 and ultimately, the total will be reached.”

“So for my walk, it was important not to think about the huge distance that I needed to cover but rather to concentrate in doing 15 miles a day,” he says.

Patrick’s efforts have touched a chord with many. Admiration is pouring in from donors on JustGiving as well as people on social media.

That was one hell of a walk indeed!

The K Walk – From Facebook
about 3 weeks ago
And so we reach our destination: Future Hope school in Rowland Road, Kolkata. Apparently everyone in the organisation, not just the children and teachers but also all the cooks, everyone who works in the homes and all the office staff, turned out to greet us.
The first batch of photos capture something that I did not see: the immense amount of preparation that went into making our welcome so special; the making of signs, the gathering of flower petals, the rehearsing of singing and drumming , the finishing tape and banner. What a lot of work. Thank you so much everyone

As we crossed the finishing line we received these magnificent floral garlands and turbans and, after being refreshed with some lemonade, sat down to enjoy the fabulous Future Hope food.

IMAGES:

Patrick Baddeley.IMAGE: FACEBOOK

IMAGE: JUSTGIVING SCREENGRAB

IMAGE: JUSTGIVING SCREENGRAB

IMAGE: FACEBOOK SCREENGRAB

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