Woman, 76, in 200-mile hike for homeless charity

Samantha Journet, pictured with Lou Macari, will be raising money for The Macari Foundation

A 76-year-old woman is to walk 200 miles across Portugal and Spain to support a charity in its efforts to help homeless people.

Samantha Journet, from Birches Head, Stoke-on-Trent, will hike the Camino de Santiago – a traditional pilgrimage route between Porto and Santiago – with her niece Fran over 14 days in October.

She is aiming to raise money for The Macari Foundation, a homeless charity set up by ex-Stoke City FC manager Lou Macari in 2016.

Ms Journet, who will be sleeping in hostels along the route, said she started visiting Hanley more after she retired and was "flabbergasted" by the number of homeless people on the streets.

She told BBC Radio Stoke: "I'd always walk past homeless people and my attitude would be 'get back to work, get off the street, you're lazy'.

"But from listening to their stories, I would say about three-quarters of them have been in care all their life, passed from pillar to post."

Ms Journet learned more about the causes of homelessness, she said, and realised it was "not as simple as just getting a job".

She first contacted the Macari Foundation when she asked for help for a man she knew who had been sleeping on the streets.

The charity was able to take him in at its shelter in the city – The Macari Centre – and he has since found a new home.

Ms Journet will begin her walk on 3 October and aims to complete it on 17 October, with an online fundraising target currently set at £1,000.

Her training includes doing seven-mile hikes every morning and evening during the week, along with another 17-mile walk on Saturdays.

"This will make a big difference to The Macari Centre," she said of the fundraising. "It would be able to help more and more people. We need more Macari Foundations in Hanley."

Mr Macari said he "really admired" Ms Journet for what she was doing and was "astounded" by the route she was taking.

"She is covering two countries and there will be very little rest for her," he added. "At 76 years of age, it really is remarkable."