Bridlington man to take on incredible 20 mile walk along the coast to raise funds for charities

Mr Ibbotson will be walking 20 miles from Filey Beach, along the North Sea Coast, to Richie’s cafe on Bridlington’s South Beach.

The Fundraising walk aims to raise at least £500 for both the Emmanuel Church and the Hinge Centre, who provide support, guidance, services and opportunities to those struggling in Bridlington.

Mr Ibbotson said “ These places are close to me because they are the heart of the town. Helping feed the homeless, feeding families, helping with mental health; the list goes on.

“I was inspired by visiting the (Emmanuel) church with my wife. I have a little girl and she loves going to the fun and food on a Thursday, and my wife Maria actually cooks for them.

“I wanted to get fit and healthy at the same time so I decided that a fundraising walk would be best.

“I turned 40 in January and I decided that I need to change my life. For two months now, I have stopped drinking alcohol, and for a month I have stopped smoking and vaping.

“I have been doing a lot of swimming lately to get myself fit, I have lost over a stone in weight since January.

"Since I quit drinking and smoking I have all this energy, I feel 20 odd again!

“I also just joined the Bridlington Lions and I have my fourth meeting next week- then I will become an official Lion.

"I was on the lifeboat for 19 years, but I saw some stuff which affected my mental health so I retired from that.

“While choosing the route for the walk I was thinking about the lifeboat stations, all those years I had on the lifeboat and the amount of jobs I have had from Bridlington up to Filey.

"While doing this walk I would love to see where I have been on the Lifeboat!”

Sponsorship forms to support Mr Ibbotson in his fundraising walk are available from the Hinge Centre or the Emmanuel Church or visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/cole-ibbotson-1 to donate directly.