A County Armagh football fan is currently walking to all of Northern Ireland’s Premiership League stadiums – with fundraising for two great causes his ultimate goal!
Simon Thompson will have by now completed his second day of his 158.9 mile trek and arrived at Mourneview Park in Lurgan.
Simon, who works at Milne Funeral Services in Portadown, is originally from Donaghcloney but has been living in Tandragee for around eight years now.
It was from there that he set out on Saturday, hoping to score as much money as possible for Evora Hospice and Helping Hands in Portadown.
When Armagh I caught up with Simon this morning (Monday), he was preparing to leave Dungannon Swifts’ Stangmore Park home.
It certainly is a huge undertaking but it is something which he has been thinking about for some time.
“I’ve done big walks before. I’ve walked from Glasgow to Inverness and the West Highland Way,” he explained. “When I came back from that I remember thinking about the next one, and I remember telling the boss Ian Milne about maybe doing this one because I like the football.
“I would have followed Ballymena for five seasons and then I realised it was too far to travel to home games and I started following the local team Laurelvale. I remember saying to my boss I wouldn’t mind walking the football grounds, but I never did it. I’ve done a couple of other big walks, like the Cleveland Way and other things. When my boss passed away last year I just decided to do it.”
Simon has chosen two charities which are close to his heart – one through his work and the other on a personal level.
He said: “I work for Milne Funeral Services as a funeral director and an embalmer and I’d be in and out of the Hospice, quite a lot more than I’d like to be honest. But anytime you go in, the staff are always great. Some of the staff are volunteers and they’re just great.
“Anytime you talk to the families, they’re always very appreciative of the care and attention that they receive from the staff in the Hospice. A lot of it’s self-funded so I’d just like to support them.
“Helping hands is a wee charity in Portadown and they help anyone in any aspect of life. They do a bit of everything and they’re great. They helped us when we were clearing out my granny’s house. They’ve helped me a lot and just given me a bit of time and good advice.”
Simon’s journey began at his home in Tandragee on Saturday, before he walked to Laurelvale – a distance of 2.2 miles – and then on to Dungannon Swifts – a further 18 miles.
After Sunday off, he resumed today, and was due to walk a total of 22.3 miles, from Stangmore Park to Mourneview via Shamrock Park in Portadown.
Tuesday will see him Belfast-bound from Lurgan, taking him first to Windsor Park, home of Linfield, and then on to Glentoran – a distance of 23.4 miles.
Wednesday will have Simon set off from Glentoran for Bangor, then on to Crusaders and Cliftonville, a distance of 25.9 miles.
A further 20.7 miles will be clocked up on Thursday, as he walks from Cliftonville to Larne via Carrick Rangers.
Larne to Ballymena will add another 20.8 miles to his week-long walk come Friday.
And the last leg – a marathon 26 miles – will take Simon from Ballymena to Coleraine, where he hopes to arrive at around 6pm next Saturday, having completed the 158.9 miles.
Simon is going it alone but has – and will have – company at some stages along the way.
“I’m walking by myself but on Saturday my mum walked from Tandragee to Laurelvale with me,” he said. “Today, there’s a couple of friends meeting me at Shamrock Park in Portadown and hopefully maybe walk to Mourneview, Glenavon’s ground, with me.
“I have a friend says he’ll walk all day Wednesday with me, but mostly I’m walking by myself but with people dropping in if they want to walk a wee bit with me.”
The response to date and support shown has been great. Even on Saturday, when Google Maps sent Simon and his mum off course en route to Laurelvale, the owner of a local nursery made a donation when he learned what they were doing and what they were doing it for.
And it’s gestures like these – and seeing donations coming in online – that makes it all worth it.
Certainly Saturday’s start – and the knowledge many more miles lay ahead – did not deter Simon from his challenge.
“ It was good,” he said. “The weather forecast said it was to lash but it was nice. It was great and I really enjoyed it. It was hard and I’m feeling a bit stiff but will hopefully loosen up.”
From county to county, from ground to ground, Simon is firmly focussed on his endeavours and hopes to score as much money as possible for two very special cause.
The generous donations from family, friends and followers will be great reward for Evora Hospice and Helping Hands.
But how will Simon reward himself when he completes his walk and arrives in Coleraine next weekend?
The response, without hesitation, is simple: “A well-earned rest, just putting the feet up and getting a good feed somewhere to be honest.”
To keep up to date with his progress, visit the Facebook page Simon’s NIFL premiership stadium walk.
And if you would like to donate, a link has been set up via his workplace and can be accessed at https://milnefuneralservices.co.uk/collections/ – you can also call the office on (028) 3833 8888 between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Any donation will be very much appreciated.
