Amputee’s home burgled during bus-pass challenge from John O’ Groats to Land’s End

Amputee’s home burgled during bus-pass challenge

1 hour ago

Georgie Dockerand

Angela Ferguson,North West

An amputee travelling across the UK using his bus pass says he is determined to complete a charity challenge, after his home was broken into mid-route.

Barry Mackleston, from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, began the seven-day journey from John O’ Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall on Tuesday.

The former transport worker plans to raise money for his local rugby club that brought him “back into the world” after a life-changing accident.

However, the 72-year-old was forced to take a detour after he was told about the burglary. He is due to restart on Saturday, adding: “The challenge cannot fail – we have got to get to Land’s End.”

Barry said his plans had been put on hold for a day after his cleaner and family informed him of the break-in when he was four days into the 1,200-mile (1,931km) challenge.

He told the BBC he had returned home to assess the damage and see what had been stolen, which included £450 in cash and several other items, adding that he was grateful for the support of Greater Manchester Police and his friends.

He said he was “devastated” but was carrying on with the challenge and fundraising for the club was “paramount in my mind”.

The intrepid fundraiser said he planned to pick up where he left off on Saturday.

As was the case in his previous challenge, Barry said all money raised this time would go towards the rugby club, where he has been a volunteer since losing his leg in an accident five years ago.

Barry said the club’s positive impact on his mental health was “beyond words”. He added: “I was in a coma for a huge length of time, and you wake up, and your whole life is changed. Rugby kind of brought me back into the world again.”

Speaking to Radio Manchester from the first bus stop in Orkney on Tuesday, Barry said: “I can’t see the club die and that’s where we’re going with this if we don’t if we don’t get the work done that we need to get done.

“We’ve been struggling now for two years to get sort of connected with the council and get a move on with moving into premises.

“The premises we have are not good – the floor’s falling out, things don’t work, we’ve been rebuffed all the time, and we still need to keep collecting money to try and get the club into a position where it is.

“This whole challenge is about raising money really for the kids – because we haven’t been able to do the work we wanted to do last year to make the hub better for them.

“It’s just making sure that the club has enough money to function and make sure that we actually get the job done.”