A MAN who has undertaken a 6,000-mile walking trek to raise money for the Samaritans has arrived in Ealing.

Dave Matthews is visiting all of the 201 Samaritans branches in the UK and Ireland in the hope that he can raise £100,000 for the charity.

After covering 4,200 miles, Dave reached the Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Samaritans branch in South Ealing and was congratulated by local volunteers, including local director, Heena Johnson.

She said: "Dave's walk symbolises the passion and the commitment of the Samaritans volunteers which have allowed us to stay open throughout the pandemic to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair."

The South Ealing based Samaritans branch was the 141st to be visited by Dave in his Listening Walk which began in April 2019.

After having to stop in April 2020 because of the various

lockdown restrictions, he restarted his odyssey in December 2020.

Dave told the Ealing, Hammersmith & Hounslow volunteers: "I've been humbled by the reaction I've had from people all over the UK who've reminded me that what we're doing is so important."

After his stop in Ealing and nine million steps into his journey, Dave left on foot to continue his walk and visited the Samaritans branch in Putney.

To donate to the fundraiser click HERE and to follow Dave's journey click HERE.