Dan walks with football hero against the odds

Daniel Peacock was told that his chances of walking were little to none when he was born with a club foot. However, Daniel, now 26, has defied the odds to walk 23 miles and raise £1,400 for The Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity through Huddersfield Town football club’s ‘Walk for Pounds’ fundraiser.

“I was treated at Sheffield Children’s Hospital from the age of eight for my feet,” says Daniel, from Calderdale. “They were almost completely inverted so I needed multiple operations to correct them which involved a lot of bone breaking and repositioning. There was a lot of discomfort and pain but it was definitely all worth it. I wanted to do this walk as a way of giving something back to the hospital.”

A record 105 football fans took part in the ‘Hillsborough to Home’ Walk for Pounds event, which is organised by the retired Huddersfield Town legend, Andy Booth.

“When I was younger there’s no chance I would have thought I could have done a 23 mile walk,” says Daniel. “No chance at all. I still can’t believe that I’ve actually done it to be honest. It’s a testimony to how good my treatment was.

“I met Andy Booth when he visited the wards with the teamwhen I was eight years-old at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. So to be able to walk alongside him on this fundraiser was amazing.”

More than 100 donations were made to Daniel’s Just Giving page, helping him to raise £1,400 for The Children’s Hospital Charity.

“I definitely want to raise more money for The Children’s Hospital Charity in the future. You don’t necessarily have to do something as ridiculous as a 23 mile walk. Even if you raise £100 by getting in a bath of baked beans – that will go towards doing something good. My feet are always in the back of my mind and there’s an odd niggle of pain but they’re as good as they can ever be and hopefully they’ll be alright for many many years to come.”

Fundraising Assistant for The Children’s Hospital Charity, Caitlin Hallatt, said:“Dan is such an inspirational fundraiser who has overcome so many obstacles. A lot of us take walking for granted but there are some children in our hospital who need help to take a single step. It’s great to hear how the hospital has helped them through the years. We’re very grateful for Daniel’s £1,400 donation and would like to say a big well done from the charity!”