Malcolm Thompson took on a fundraising walk from the birthplace of Kevin Beattie to Ipswich, a journey of 311 miles, to raise money!

Here, he tells us all about it…

When Kevin sadly passed away, I wanted to make his wish come true and keep his name and legacy alive and so the crazy idea of walking from his birthplace to where he made his name was born.

So Carlisle to Ipswich was the walk and it was met with grasps from many people.

The walk when it finally happened contained everything from rolling hills, pain, blisters and even a brush with the law en route but was emotional as fans supported the walk by donating and sending kind messages.

Sept 27th 2020 arrived and I pulled on my hiking boots and trekked an eye-watering 311 miles from Carlisle to Suffolk.

Mr Beattie, who played for England and is widely regarded as the Blues’ best-ever player, died of a suspected heart attack in September 2018.

Originally I had initially decided to raise money for The Beat Goes On campaign – launched to fund a statue of the Town icon outside the club’s Portman Road stadium.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic meant the walk had to be rescheduled and, after the statue campaign reached its target, it was decided money raised would be used to set up a Kevin Beattie Foundation instead.

The not-for-profit organisation will support as many charities as possible in the name of the former defender, who was only 64.

The walk was a very special, emotional achievement as I reached Portman Road on October 10.

Kevin was the best player ever to wear the blue shirt of Ipswich Town and he once said to me he hoped his name would help others, so when he passed away the idea was raised of walking from Carlisle – his hometown – to Ipswich.

Myself and a friend set off from Brunton Park (the home of Carlisle United Football Club) on September 27 before walking hundreds of miles back to Ipswich.

Although I’d trained to walk miles, the iconic hills of the Yorkshire Dales were an absolute nightmare – as was the hot weather – especially as we had no support team and had to carry heavy rucksacks all the way.

The first three days were mentally draining as the hills were big and non-stop.

Sadly, my fellow walker had to retire after week one for medical reasons and so the next few days got harder as I was flying solo.

Luckily, Kevin’s first ever roommate, Kenny Sharpe, met me in Lincoln.

It gave me such a lift to hear his stories.

There were some great walks and beautiful scenery, like alongside the Liverpool to Leeds Canal on the way to Bradford.

But we had some scares when walking along roads like the A16 and A17.

I was even stopped by the police when walking on the hard shoulder and asked what I was doing.

They were sympathetic but warned me I had to walk on the grass verges, even though they were so small.

Money raised from the walk has helped set up the Kevin Beattie Foundation.

The organisation has also brought in funds from the sale of specially-produced 2021 calendars.

Setting up the foundation has been a complex project,

but we’ve got lots planned for the future and it’s an exciting project to support, as it’ll help various charities.

To make a donation or find out more about the calendars, visit www.sorefeet.live or malcolmthompson10@outlook.com

Kevin always wanted his name to help others in years to come, that is the aim of the KBF charity