Barnsley Lighthouse walker raises £50,000 for Gurkha Welfare Trust

A man who walked 9,000 miles while visiting lighthouses around the British coast has reached his fundraising target of £50,000, which will fund three earthquake-proof homes in Nepal for Gurkha families.

Jim Morton, 64, served in the Royal Navy in the 1970s and 1980s and, inspired by the Gurkhas he met, he began fundraising for the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

Mr Morton, from Barnsley, wrote a book about his 8,903 mile (14,328km) walk in October 2022 called I May Be Gone a While.

He said: “Thursday was a very proud day for me because I sold the last of my £1,000 and also, coincidentally, that took me back to my £50,000.”

He added: “In 2016, some Gurkhas lost everything in an earthquake and since then we have had monsoons.

“Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Anything we can do to help is fantastic.”

Mr. Morton, who is obsessed with lighthouses, I spent 537 days walking across the UK visit 243 lighthouses.

He now gives lectures at Rotary clubs and women’s institutes. Earlier this month, he received Paul Harris Fellow recognition, an international Rotary award.

In May this year, he began walking between the five D-Day beaches in northern France. He took up the challenge on the 80th anniversary of the battle, June 6.

He said: “The money will still come in although I have reached my target of £50,000 by also doing talks and speaking engagements, but it is all about raising money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

“They are such humble people who have served Britain so well since 1814 in all wars.”

The Gurkha Welfare Trust was founded in 1969. It provides financial and medical assistance to veterans in Nepal and works with communities to provide access to clean water and education.

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