To mark our 75th anniversary, we’re asking you to take on your own 75 miles challenge to help support members of the fire services community in need. The distance is set, but how you get there is completely up to you.

John Adams, 54, and his son James, 26, both wholetime firefighters for Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service, completed their challenge earlier this year by walking from Porto in Portugal to Santiago De Compostela in Spain.

Their 75 Miles Page
Here, John briefly describes their experience of the trek:

John and James crossing border of Portugal and Spain

“We walked 300km (4×75) of the pilgrimage Camino de Santiago, also known as ‘The Way of St. James’. It was tough, we walked around 30km per day for ten days.

“I know for the majority of pilgrims on the Camino it’s a spiritual journey of courage and sacrifice. We saw some heart-warming sights; an old Portuguese lady offered us her umbrella when we were walking through her village in t-shirts and sandals in the rain. We saw some Americans struggling, doing no more than one kilometre an hour. Also, some Spanish soldiers kindly decided not to shoot us when we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in a restricted area on a military training area.

At the finish line – the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

“On the final day, we had photos taken in front of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral  and we looked at each and thought, what now? For the last ten days all we had done was walk, walk and walk some more. So of course, we did what came naturally, we had a couple of beers.”

John previously needed the Charity’s help following surgery and was able to access the facilities at Jubilee House in Penrith. Taking on the #My75Miles challenge is just one of the ways he is thanking the Charity for the support he received.

“I enjoy giving back. The Charity is a very worthy cause and I like to help as much as I can.”

If you’re taking part in the #My75Miles challenge, we want to hear from you:

Share your story

More Stories

This is #My75Miles: Stephen Wolstenholme

Retired West Yorkshire firefighter Stephen Wolstenholme has walked the 80 miles of The Dales Way this week to show his appreciation of the Charity that helped his wife’s cancer recovery.

Paul Fallon

After suffering a mini stoke, retired West Midlands firefighter Paul Fallon contacted the Charity to see if we could aid his recovery and help him get back on track. Following a week at Harcombe House, his confidence has soared.