Cannock man whose father lost use of his legs hikes from the bottom of the UK to the top - raising nearly £8,000 so far

Alex Arbenz, from Cannock, is 1,100 miles into his 1,207-mile long hike from the southernmost point of the UK - Lands End in Cornwall - to the northernmost point, John O'Groats in Scotland. 

The whole hike is expected to take 62 days all together, Alex said.

Although he has faced a massive challenge, the 24-year-old says he is doing it all for his father Bruce, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2001 at the age of 52.

Alex says his father suffered with symptoms since he was in his 20s and believes that, had there have been better treatment and awareness of MS, Bruce could have been helped sooner. 

Bruce later lost the use of his legs and now uses a wheelchair, but has the support of his wife Vicky, Alex, and Alex's sister Eve. The family lives together in Great Wyrley.

"I thought about this challenge to put myself in a position where I understand what it is like to feel one per cent of the difficulties my dad goes through," Alex said, "but to also spread awareness and raise as much money as possible.

"My dad is my biggest motivation. He has shown me what can be done despite the challenges life throws at you.

"I have had to deal with lonely cold nights, aches and pains in my body I didn’t know were possible but an overwhelming amount of support that has made this all possible."

Alex has been hiking 20 miles a day on average, camping most of the way and carrying all of his equipment and food in a rucksack - adding an extra 20kg onto his shoulders. 

He has so far managed to raise £7,689 of his £10,000 target which he will donate to MS Society UK.

"It's an amazing charity and I want to raise as much money as possibly for their research and better treatment and care for those who are living with MS," he added.  

Alex has been documenting his journey through his Instagram page @alex_onthetrail, and anyone wishing to donate can do so on his GoFundMe page here.