Northampton university campus police officer to trek 100km for charity in Jurassic Coast Challenge

A University of Northampton (UON) campus police officer will pound a new ‘beat’ this spring when he treks around the Jurassic Coast for charity.

Police Constable Karl Greenham will walk a 62-mile (100km) stretch of the World Heritage coastline in Dorset, famed for its dinosaur fossils, to raise money for a good cause that he said is 'close to home'.

The officer will be walking for Bliss, a charity that supports families of premature babies and contributes to giving every premature baby the best chance of survival.

Karl said: “A few years ago, a family member’s life was thrown into disarray when their son was born 13 weeks early. He weighed little more than 1kg and was fighting for his life.

“Somehow, they battled through this tough time, but this was made more bearable by the brilliant help they received from the charity Bliss.

"Thanks to Bliss and the medical care their son received, they were able to welcome him home and he has gone on to grow into a fit and healthy boy.

"We were left so impressed by what Bliss did, we are taking on this massive challenge, something that will push us mentally and physically but raising funds and awareness and for them.”

Karl and four fellow walkers – including his wife, Vicki, and brother-in-law, Matthew Evans, who is also in the police force – will start the annual Jurassic Coast Challenge at the romantic ruins of Corfe Castle on May 14.

The aim is for them to complete the whole walk by the next day, meaning they will walk through the evening with only occasional stops for a brief rest and refreshments along the route that is marshalled with medics.

They will subsequently take in Weymouth and Lulworth Cove before moving on to Chesil Beach and West Bay’s cliffs (made famous in TV crime series Broadchurch) before they finish in Bridgeport.

The officer has been in the police force for 12 years and has been part of UON's own police team since Waterside campus opened in 2018. Even though he is used to a physical job, he is still undertaking some pre-walk preparation.

Karl added: “We’ve taken some advice on how best to do this so every other weekend for the past few weeks we’ve completed increasingly longer walks, gradually ‘staircasing’ our efforts.

“While the wife and I both enjoy a good walk, we have never taken on anything of this magnitude before. Even so, we’re going to have some good food and a good sleep the night before we set off to help us push through the walk!”

Anyone who is interested can visit the effort's JustGiving page.