The conclusion of an extraordinary 1,000km+ unassisted charity walk called ‘Home from Home’ from Essex to Armagh over the last 5-6 weeks is expected to finish tomorrow (Wednesday 12).
Eamonn Donnelly and John Gribbin, two lifelong friends and fathers (59 and 60) originally from County Armagh. John originally from Blackwatertown and now living in Essex, and Eamonn, from Keady but now living in Graz in Austria, set off on their challenge to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Cancer Fund for Children – two charities that are special to them due to support they gave close family members in the past.
The walk took place from John’s current home in Essex to his family home in Blackwatertown. For Eamonn, this is his second such epic walk having walked from his now home in Austria to Armagh in 2017 covering well over 2,500km for dementia research and in memory my mother who passed away from dementia a couple of years previously.
Having left Radwinter in Essex on July 4, they have been walking for nearly 40 days unassisted across public footpaths and rights of way with backpacks and tents on their back.
They have battled the blistering heat of England’s recent heatwave, heavy rain in Scotland and a series of blisters on their feet. One of them, has even had to spend a day in hospital on a fluid drip as treatment for dehydration, due to the unprecedented temperatures they have been walking in!
The pair are expected to arrive in Blackwatertown on Wednesday, August 12, between 1.30 and 2pm. They will be welcomed home by family and friends in the centre of Blackwatertown.
The official finish line will be outside John’s old primary school in the centre of the town, St Jarlath’s Primary School, 89 Charlemont Rd, Blackwatertown, Co. Armagh BT71 7HH where a warm welcome awaits from family and friends!
You can see more about their journey on Instagram and Facebook @HomefromHome2026
