Former pro-boxer Sean Hughes to walk 200 miles from Boldon to Yorkshire and back in support of dad and granddad suffering dementia

Sean Hughes, 39, will walk 100 miles from his home in Boldon Colliery to Pontefract in West Yorkshire – and back again – in aid of Dementia UK and Hebburn Helps.

The personal trainer, who is originally from Pontefract, will spend three days walking home to see his dad, Stephen Hughes, 63, and granddad, Frank Brown, 92, who are both living with dementia.

"I decided in lockdown to do a charity walk and thought I would walk home to Pontefract which is 100 miles away,” Sean said.

“Dementia UK is pretty close to my heart as my grandad suffers from it and my dad as well.

"The Dementia UK nurses also give care to people who are caring for those with dementia.

"They do a superb job for families who are suffering.”

Setting off on Saturday, July 10, Sean will walk around 35 miles for three consecutive days to reach his destination by Monday, July 12.

He will then spend another three days walking to get back to Boldon by Friday, July 16.

He will be joined by friends from Pontefract for the final leg of the challenge into Yorkshire and a group from Hebburn Helps will join him for the remaining miles as he makes his way back to Boldon.

It’s an impressive feat, but Sean is no stranger to a challenge, and was ranked as the number one Super Bantamweight boxer in Great Britain in 2008.

“I’ve been doing big 20 and 30 mile walks every now and then but I am just trying to get between five and 10 miles in every single day [as part of my training],” he said.

“It’s going to be an adventure!”

Sean is taking donations through a bank account to ensure all of the money can be given to the two charities.

So far around £1,100 has been raised, with funds to be divided equally between the two charities.

Donations can be made to Sean Hughes, bank account account number: 83824705 and sort code 20-89-68.

Alternatively, message ‘Sean Short Fuse Hughes’ on Facebook to arrange a donation.

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