WANDERING musician Leander Morales and his friends have raised £3,500 for charity after trekking to London from Westbury, performing gigs each night – and they even met Michael Parkinson along the way.
Singer/songwriter Leander and his Westbury friends hiked the 117 miles to London, playing gigs each night, to raise money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Bath’s Royal United Hospital.
Near Windsor they stumbled upon The Royal Oak, run by Parky and his son, and got to meet the man himself.
“He was brilliant,” said Leander. “He came over and started asking us questions about what we were doing. It’s always been a dream of mine to be interviewed by Michael Parkinson, I didn’t care about the five million viewers!”
He even signed a menu that will be put into a raffle to be held next month, which also features a guitar signed by Status Quo, and Leander plans to invite Michael Parkinson along. The aim is to reach a total of £5,000.
‘The Sunshine Walk’ started on Friday 21st August and finished on Friday 28th August, with Leander busking on the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalger Square, before being removed by security!
Leander has supported the NICU ever since his daughter Alana spent seven weeks in the unit when she was born five years ago. Along the way the group received some great backing from the venues they played at. One landlord even joined them for a day’s walking after his customers raised £700 for the cause.
“It seemed like the further along we go, the more generous people became. It’s a triumphant feeling,” said Leander. “One of the greatest achievements of my life. I’m really proud to have been a part of it with some people I feel close to.”
Leander was accompanied by a group of old schoolfriends throughout the challenge who kept him company on the way. He wants to say a special thank you to Lee Walford who was there for the entire week.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Leander. “The hardest part was stopping for five minutes and getting started again. We hobbled the first 20 metres each time! Muscles that we haven’t used since we were 15 came into use! It was really worth it though because it’s such a worthy cause that I feel really passionate about.”
You can make a contribution to the Sunshine Walk by visiting www.justgiving.com/ sunshinewalk.
