Man walking every street in Portishead for RNLI fundraiser

Mr Crane walks with a teddy bear - named Captain Flint, after the parrot in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, Treasure Island - on his shoulder

A 79-year-old man is walking every street, road and track of his local town in a fundraising challenge for the RNLI.

Bob Crane, from Portishead, is aiming to complete the challenge before his 80th birthday in July.

The former lifeboat operations manager aims to raise £1,000 for the town's lifeboat crew.

RNLI Portishead fundraising coordinater, Simon Perks, described Mr Crane as a "force of nature".

Mr Crane began his challenge at the start of April by walking up to 12 miles (19.3km) a day, two to three days a week.

He tracks his progress using the Strava app, a spreadsheet and a map to mark out the streets that he has already walked.

So far, he has completed 47.69 miles (76.7km).

The total distance is estimated to be about 200 miles (321.8km) - roughly the same distance as between Portishead and Land's End.

Mr Crane has set himself an initial fundraising target of £1,000, but says he hopes to surpass this

Mr Crane said he began walking more often during the Covid lockdown, discovering places in the town that he "didn't know existed".

"It is a lovely place, Portishead," he said.

"It's amazing, there are so many little roads and side roads".

And while he plans to walk every street, he said he is attempting to complete all of the hills first.

"Walking downhill is harder than walking uphill - it affects your knees. It's called getting old," he joked.

'So supportive'

Mr Crane said he was inspired to do something "that hadn't been done before" in the run up to his 80th birthday.

"I wanted to raise awareness that we're the only emergency service that does it all for free," he said.

"It's a tremendous commitment and we've always had an incredible team from all walks of life."

Mr Crane said he is enjoying the challenge, adding that people in Portishead have been "so supportive".

Mr Perks said: "Having been our lifeboat operations manager during our adoption from an independent lifeboat station in to the RNLI charity, he now refuses to hang up his wellies.

"He's taken on a huge challenge and we're all rooting for him."