Halifax dad devastated by lack of public support to reach target after completing extreme challenge

Ben, 38, walked around the full 150 mile perimeter of Rhodes, in Greece, non-stop and with no sleep in memory of his stillborn daughter Kallipateira, who died just two weeks before her due date in October 2018.

Along with his support team of Jason Croft and his partner Gaynor Thompson, Ben completed the extreme challenge in just 42 hours in a Greek heatwave on August 14.

He is the only person to have done this on the island, with all funds raised helping to save babies lives nationally through research at the Tommy’s Rainbow Clinic and Research Centre in Manchester, through Ben’s charity The Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation.

Ben set himself a target of £20,000, yet has only currently raised £4,636, which is just 23 per cent of what he hoped to raise.

Ben battled through the 150 miles taking on severe sleep deprivation in the soaring heat and humidity with bad blisters, and in the last 30 miles from Lindos, began to get double vision, with traffic only inches away from him.

Ben said: “This was beyond extreme and was a brutal extreme challenge walk for myself and my support team. My life was in danger.

“To not even get close to my target so far is devastating after a year of preparation.

“For a full year I did not see my newborn son on a weekend for training commitments.

“I understand for some people times are difficult but we are all aware of highly publicised events during the lockdowns that made millions for their charities which is great.

“The subject of baby death is clearly the reason people have not supported with donations in higher numbers.

“My daughter died and I went through hell in Rhodes to help save the lives of other families’ babies. It saddens me to think if I had died in Rhodes, my target would have been smashed.

“I ask all parents, grandparents and local businesses who read this and everyone else to please donate something to help me achieve my target.

“The subject of baby death is the same as what cancer was 20 years ago. Unless it happens to them, do people really care?

“I think people will always continue to cross the road when this subject is spoken of.

“People think because we have Apollon, our rainbow baby, we are now OK. We are not OK and never will be.”

To donate to Ben’s fundraiser, visit www.justgiving.com/rhodes2021.