Surrey man walking a million steps in August for the charity that helped him get sober

An Oxted man is walking more than one million steps this month to raise £10,000 for the free helpline and counselling service that he credits with saving his life.

David Kerr, 42, who works in accounting, began his challenge on 1 August and will walk over 1,000,000 steps by the end of the month, fitting more than 33,000 steps a day around a full-time job. 

He is raising money for Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care (SDAC), a Guildford-based charity whose free telephone counselling and bootcamp service supported him through his recovery from alcohol dependence.

"A number of years ago, the odds of me turning my life around were a million to one," David said. "I don't say that lightly. My drinking had led me to a place I couldn't see a way out of.

"What changed everything was a free local charity. It gave me a roadmap out of the darkness, a daily structure I still live by, and a glint of hope when I had none. I got sober. I rebuilt my life."

Now he’s hoping to raise £10,000 for the charity to help them continue this work. It’s not his first time fundraising for the charity, and he added: "Last year I did a 100km walk in 24 hours, so I thought if I was going to ask people for money again I needed to go a bit bigger, further and longer!”

David took the first week off work and banked an early lead, completing the North Downs 50 Ultra Challenge on 1 August, then walking the full South Downs Way, 160km from Winchester to Eastbourne, between 2 and 7 August. 

"The first week I took off work so I got a bit ahead of where I needed to be, and walked the South Downs Way averaging about 40,000 steps a day," he said. "For the next three weeks I am back at work and I need to build these steps around my life. It's the same as recovery, where you need to build things into your daily life.

"It’s just about breaking it down into bite-sized chunks. Little and often. I get up and put my shoes on and get outside and put one foot in front of the other. Then come back, rest, refuel and then go again later."

As well as his daily walks, David will take on the 25km London Summer Walk from Woolwich on Saturday 22 August, and is inviting supporters to join him for individual legs during the month, with details shared on his social channels.

On why people should donate, David added: "SDAC's bootcamp is intensive, personal, and completely free to everyone who needs it. It's there at the end of a phone for people at their lowest, but it only exists because people fund it. Every pound keeps that phone line open and ready for someone who needs it."

SDAC runs a free, confidential helpline open 365 days a year for anyone concerned about their own or someone else's drug or alcohol use. For support, call SDAC’s free helpline on 0808 802 5000 or visit: https://www.surreydrugandalcoholcare.org.uk/

To follow David’s progress, follow @amillionstepsinamonth on Instagram, and to donate, visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/amillionstepsinamonth