A Shepton Mallet man is preparing to complete a 260-mile fundraising challenge after a chest infection forced him to extend his original finish date.

Dean Halliwell, 37, is now planning to finish the challenge on Wednesday, 26 August, with a three-mile run around Collett Park. His sister is due to join him for the final run, with her daughter expected to come along in a buggy.

Dean began the 260-mile challenge in April, running around Shepton Mallet to raise money for drinking water for displaced children in Gaza and to support a family he has been helping directly.

He had originally hoped to complete the distance by 20 August and said he had remained on target for around three months. A chest infection then prevented him from running for 10 days, leaving him with additional miles to complete after recovering.

Dean said he had been running regularly over the past week in an effort to catch up, including plans to take part in parkrun before the final stretch.

His fundraising total has now reached £1000 - twice his original target of £500.

Dean said £500 had been raised for Water of Hope, while £250 had been put towards a birthday gift for Shahed, the daughter of a family he supports in central Gaza. The additional £100 was raised subsequently.

Water of Hope was set up by siblings Ibraheam and Heba, who Dean said were living in a displacement camp in Gaza after losing their homes. His original £500 target was intended to fund two water trucks.

advertisement

Dean said Shahed had also been able to celebrate her birthday with friends after previously telling him she had not felt in the mood to mark the occasion.

Alongside the running challenge, a separate project called Sunbirds' Nest has been established to support four verified people and their families.

Artwork is sold through the project at events and online, with Dean saying 100% of the profits are then sent to the people and families being supported.

The fundraising run itself is now due to finish in Collett Park on Wednesday after more than four months of running around Shepton Mallet.

Dean said: "I have been sticking at it. I need a rest after this though."

Donations can still be made through the Running for Water fundraising page.

More local stories

• Bath & West Showground seeks new premises licence
• Check In, Stay Well: Free NHS Health Checks Available Across Shepton Mallet

Subscribe to the free Shepton Mallet Nub News newsletter Get the biggest Shepton Mallet stories straight to your inbox.