Life is a rollercoaster for fundraiser Danny

May 15 2009 By Russell Butt

Danny Pledger

A Thorpe Park rollercoaster ride was the unusual finish line for a 60-mile fundraising walk that began in Essex.

Rollercoaster enthusiast, Danny Pledger, 21, from Southend, began his walk from the mammoth 'Rage' rollercoaster at the Adventure Island theme park where he works, in Southend at 11am on Wednesday, May 13.

His overnight walk, covering more than two marathons, had its finish line the rollercoaster, Saw - The Ride, in Thorpe Park, which opened in March.

Danny, who has been using his bizarre point-to-point to raise funds for the Southend Hospital Chairitable Foundation, the traversed west across the hustle and bustle of central London.

Walking non-stop through the night, he had expected to arrive around mid-morning, but surprised everyone by turning up at the Surrey attraction at 8am, where he jumped on the Saw rollercoaster, before taking a deserved shower.

Talking of his unusual trek, Danny said: ‘’I’m a bit sore and very tired, but I’m glad I did it. I would have got arrived even earlier but I sat down in Staines High Street and almost fell asleep.

"I realise that to seasoned walkers this was probably not a challenge at all, but to someone like myself who is far from a fan of walking and considers 10 miles to be ‘quite a long way,’ it was definitely a challenge."

You can still pledge money to Danny’s cause at www.justgiving.com/60milechallenge