A FOREST man who is raising funds to support refugees from Ukraine is appealing to people who might consider “sponsoring a blister” as he gears up hike all 177 miles of the Offa’s Dyke Path this month.

Ben Pearce, from Coleford, is setting off on a hike of the ancient border between England and Wales this week in an effort to raise money for The British Red Cross, which is supporting refugees in the UK and around the world including those from Ukraine and Afghanistan.

He decided to take on the fundraiser, which he has dubbed ‘Hiking for Heroes’, after witnessing “the humanitarian disaster” happening in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion back in February.

Ben is no stranger to a long distance walk for charity, having walked 188 miles of the Pembrokeshire coast last year.

For that walk he opted to raise money for Target Ovarian Cancer, after tragically losing his friend to the disease at a young age.

Ben explained: “After my friend Charlotte Warren passed away at only 29, I wanted to get involved and help support Target and GRL PWR — the charity organisation Charlotte set up after her diagnosis — and thanks to a lot of generous people I raised almost £2000.

“Along the way I picked up the hiking bug, and knew it was something I would want to do again in the future.”

The historic Offa’s Dyke Path begins at the Severn Estuary in Sedbury, taking in Chepstow and Tintern, Redbrook and the Kymin before heading north into Monmouthshire, and finishes up at Prestatyn in Denbighshire on the Irish Sea coast.

Shortly after Ben decided to support the Red Cross through his hike, the charity launched its own hiking campaign, ‘Miles for Refugees’, in which people are encouraged to walk, run swim or cycle variety of distances, including 108 miles - the distance from Lviv in Ukraine to neighbouring Poland - to raise money to support refugees.

Ben added: “There are many, many wonderful charities to support, but given everything that is happening in Ukraine I felt the Red Cross would be an ideal choice.

“So if you would like to sponsor a blister and help support a fantastic cause please visit my Justgiving page.”

To donate to Ben’s fundraising campaign, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/benpearce2022.