150 miles on foot to thank Britain's Armed Forces community

16 July 2026

As he approaches his 50th birthday, County Durham resident Neil Coates is marking the milestone in an extraordinary way - by walking 150 miles from Weardale to Edinburgh to raise money for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The 49-year-old, who was born in Bishop Auckland and has spent his life in Weardale, will set off on Thursday 16 July, walking from his family’s business, Bluebird Boutique in Stanhope, to Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. The walk will take around nine days.

Neil is doing the walk with wife of 20 years, Rebecca. They have two children, Ethan, 22, and Finley, 17, as well as a much-loved 12-year-old cockatoo, Poppy.

Although neither Neil nor Rebecca has served in the Armed Forces and no direct military connections, they have many close friends who have served across all three services, which has given them insight into the challenges many veterans face as they transition to civilian life.

Neil said: “As I get closer to turning 50, I wanted to do something memorable. The more we talked about it, the more we wanted some sort of challenge to support a charity that makes a real difference. We’ve seen first-hand some of the difficulties veterans can face after leaving the Armed Forces, so raising money for SSAFA felt like the right thing to do.”

To help kick-start the fundraising, Neil organised a nine-mile circular sponsored walk from a local pub in Frosterley, inviting friends and supporters to join them.

The couple have set themselves a fundraising target of £1,000 for SSAFA.

Neil added: “This challenge is about much more than reaching Edinburgh. It’s about getting fitter, spending time outdoors and, most importantly, helping a charity that supports people who have served our country and their families. If we can raise awareness of SSAFA while raising some money at the same time, that’ll make every mile worthwhile.”