Dad's 1,000-mile walk raising cash for heart checks

Karl Lansley is taking selfies on his walks to keep his social media followers updated

A father-of-two whose wife died suddenly has been doing a 1,000-mile walk to raise money to provide free heart checks.

Karl Lansley's wife, Carli, died in her sleep in 2017 aged 36 from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

Mr Lansley, from Southend, Essex, has set up the Carli Lansley Foundation, which aims cover the cost of providing electrocardiogram (ECG) tests for young people in the city.

He began his long-distance walk in May and is hoping to finish on 24 July, on what would have been the couple's 20th wedding anniversary.

Karl Lansley with his children Ethan and Jess

His walk, being done in stages, has so far seen Mr Lansley visit London, Kent, the coast along to Brighton and Portsmouth, and Milton Keynes.

His route will also take in Norfolk, before heading back down the coast and inland to Cambridge, and then back to the finish in Southend.

Mr Lansley has been returning home during each stage to be with his children, Ethan and Jess.

So far, he has raised about £10,000. His target is £52,000.

Along the way, he has decided to spread some of his wife's ashes.

Mr Lansley added: "Carli's ashes have been in our house since the date of her funeral and, prior to this year, the kids and I had never fully decided what, if anything, to do with them.

"Then, about six months ago, we decided that we would spread a tiny bit of her ashes whenever we visited new places.

"It would almost make us feel like we had visited as a family."

Since it was set up, the foundation has helped 1,600 people aged 14-35 get ECG checks.