This incredible 87-year-old granddad is walking the circumference of the Earth and is on track to finish aged 90

An 87-year-old great granddad and serial fundraiser inspired by the loss of his wife is walking the circumference of the Earth – by trekking almost 25,000 miles for five to six hours per day around England and Europe.

Brian Everett, 87, from Darlington, Durham, started doing charity fundraising challenges after his wife Sheila’s death with breast cancer in 2004 and has since raised over £200,000 for various causes.

First raising money for cancer research in tribute to Sheila, who used to be his partner-in-crime on adventures like visiting the Himalayas or trekking in the Annapurna Mountain range in Nepal, Brian has since raised money for over a dozen charities by climbing mountains, tackling epic cycling journeys and running long distances.

His newest challenge, which he started in 2017, has seen him walking an average of 9.3 miles a day to reach his goal of 24,901 miles – equivalent to the equatorial circumference of the Earth – in support of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Since he began over 2,000 days ago, the pensioner, who has his three children, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren supporting him in his feat, has hardly taken a day off and even walks for several hours on Christmas Day.

He has completed over 18,000 miles so far and expects to finish in 2024, at 90 years old.

Brian said: “It is a bit of a struggle, quite honestly, doing the remaining mileage. I think you just have to keep going.

“It’s partially nice to have achieved it but it’s daunting to think that I’ve still got some way to go.”

He said he came up with his longest challenge yet as he was running out of ideas after climbing mountains, doing long-distance runs and cycle rides.

“I thought this was something different. I started out with the idea of simulating a walk across America but then it developed out of that to walking around the world,” he said.

Brian tackles two walks each morning and afternoon and said his family’s emotions about the challenge range from appreciation, mostly from the younger generations, to thinking he is mad.

“I walk wherever I am. It varies but I can spend up to five or six hours a day walking,” he said.

“It’s the only way you can get the mileage in quite honestly, because I’ve been averaging 9.3 miles a day.

“If I take a day off, I need to make up for it by walking double the distance the next day.

“Walking for a few hours a day just becomes natural – I just hope I don’t pull a hamstring or something like that.”

Even on Christmas Day, Brian takes his family on a walk to get his daily miles in and has used his holidays in Italy, France, Malta, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand to come closer to his goal of walking once around the world.

He is more than halfway through his walking challenge and has collected £9,500 of his £20,000 fundraising target – which he describes as “modest” given his £200,000 achievements to date.

Brian began his challenges after his wife Sheila died aged 67.

He said: “I thought at the time that I would try to put some money back into cancer research, so that triggered off the first few challenges.

“Then I thought that there are other charities I wanted to support so I did more and more challenges to raise money for those.”

Sheila and Brian were an adventurous couple: “There’s a big gap in your life. It never goes away. It’s been 18 years but the gap is still there.”

He added: “Obviously, when you’re doing things you used to do together, you miss your partner.”

The couple had previously climbed mountains in the Himalayas, as well as trekking the Annapurna Mountain range in Nepal together.

In 1999, they moved to Darlington from Molesworth in Huntingdonshire, when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.

Brian said: “We moved up here because my son-in-law said they have the best oncologists in the country, which turned out to be true.

“Instead of having just a few months to live, she lived another four and a half years.

“I was so relieved, and we went on several cruises as well as staying with friends in America during that time.”

After Sheila’s death, Brian’s challenges took him around the world.

In 2006, he went to Morocco to trek and climb over the High Atlas Mountains, covering 180 miles in 10 days and roughly 14,000 feet – a challenge he completed aged 71.

In 2016, then aged 81, he climbed five active volcanoes on Mediterranean and Aeolian Islands in eight days.

He has also climbed to Everest’s base camp through the Andes in Peru, conquered Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro and been on adventures through the Amazon rainforest and up the Inca Trail.

Apart from climbing, Brian enjoys epic cycle rides, cycling across the Pennines in under eight hours in June 2016, along the Danube River for 1,000 miles in 14 days or from coast to coast in the UK from Workington to Whitby in three days in 2012.

For his latest challenge, Brian chose to support the Alzheimer’s Society in their fight against dementia – which currently affects over 900,000 people in the UK – as he had seen first-hand how the “cruel” disease affected some of his loved ones.

He said: “I know that it’s not only the people affected by dementia but those that help support them who are suffering as well. It’s a painful process.”

And his journey has been closely charted.

He said: “I know the routes by heart now, but ever since I started, I’ve kept a log of everything from blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, weight, miles walked, climbs to calories burned.”

And once it is over, Brian has no plans to stop in his 90s and is determined to continue raising money for charity.

He said: “I’ll just have to wait and see what opportunities arise.

“I hope I will still be doing challenges. I just want to do something to keep the mind and body active, but there’s also the added bonus that the challenges help generate funds for charities.”

He added: “I’ve been doing them for 20-odd years now, but I want to keep going.”

To donate to Brian’s fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brian-everett2017