A COLLEGE tutor is to walk almost 200km in a bid to boost her son’s mammoth World Cup charity trek.

Dawn Johnston, 60, from Guisborough, hopes to “share the pain” of her son who embarks on a record breaking walk to Brazil in March.

Her son, Pete Johnston, 30, is walking a symbolic 1,966km to the World Cup with his friends Adam Burns and David Bewick to raise £20,000 for charity.

They will set off from Mendoza, Argentina on Sunday (March 2) and walk through Uruguay until they reach their finishing point approximately 80 days later in Brazil - just in time for the World Cup on June 12.

Middlesbrough fan Mr Johnston and his friends have already raised over £4,000 towards their goal and Dawn is keen to add to their fundraising efforts.

Mrs Johnston who teaches shorthand to student journalists at Darlington College, said: “As I am older and working, I am going to walk one tenth of the lads’ walk, a mere 196.6km (122 miles) over the same period.

“I hope friends will join me when they can on these journeys, and please let me know if you would like to join me at any time.”

The distance Mrs Johnston will cover is the equivalent of walking from Darlington to Leeds - and back again.

The walk has been set up to raise money for the J de V Arts Trust - an organisation which aims to improve the lives of those in need - both in England and overseas.

The money will help to set up a well in Bahia, Brazil which is suffering from one of the worst droughts in 50 years.

To sponsor Mrs Johnston, visit justgiving.com/walktotheworldcup-jdev