A dedicated long distance walker is tackling an astonishing 100 kilometre trek in under a day to raise funds for a charity supporting teenagers.

On Saturday, June 24 Tony Clark from Bedale, is taking part in The Cotswold Way Challenge for Young Minds.

The event will see him walking 100km in a single hike, and if the distance wasn’t hard enough the tough terrain of the Cotswolds means that the route will take in more than 2,200m of climbing.

Mr Clark is passionate about the need for youngsters to have somewhere to turn in their hour of need.

He said: “Personal experience has shown me and my wife Jane just how much support a teenager may need regardless of how loving the family unit is.

"We’ve been fortunate to have somewhere to turn but others are not so fortunate so charities such as Young Minds provide an essential service for both the youngster in need and their parents or carers."

The Cotswold Challenge is part of a fundraising double header with Tony already completing The Woldsman in April, a 50-mile walk organised by the Long Distrance Walkers Association around East Yorkshire from Driffield.

That took him 15 hours and 32 minutes to complete and he’s hoping that, for The Cotswold Way Challenge, he will cross the finish line at about 5.30am on the Sunday following his 8.30am start the day before.

He added: “I know that the early hours of Sunday morning, walking in the dark and waiting for dawn, will be some of the hardest and I have everything crossed that blisters will be kept to a minimum.

"It would help immensely if you could visit my page at www.justgiving.com/tonyclark100km as every pound will help me on my way."