WHEN Teignmouth man Neil Howell decided to raise money for the heat cafe at the Alice Cross Community Centre, he knew he wanted to do so with a challenge.

That challenge became the world-famous Camino Challenge, a 1,000-year-old pilgrimage to the town of Santiago de Compostela, believed to be the resting place of St James the Apostle.

At about 300km, the trek was no mean feat for the 69-year-old, taking 12 days, crossing two countries and ascending over 12,000 feet.

Neil said: ‘As ex-Chairman, I’ve always been interested in the centre. Now, my daughter is involved with the Centre and is trying to organise the heat cafe. However, they’re in need of quite a bit of money to run it over the winter.

‘I haven’t done anything on this scale since my younger years, so I thought it’d be a good idea to have a go at this challenge and raise a bit of money for the Centre.’

Neil has already raised more than £2,000 for the heat cafe at the Alice Cross, but continues to appeal for donations. Neil is hosting a presentation on November 17 at 2.30pm, about the adventure and the significance of the trek for pilgrims, past and present.

The trek took Neil and three of his friends from the Portuguese city of Porto, up the Atlantic coast and into Spain to the final destination of Santiago de Compostela.

‘I think that a highlight for me was the superb scenery that you don’t find anywhere else’, said Neil, ‘but what I also really enjoyed was meeting all the different people on the route. Everyone was so welcoming, not just the walkers but the locals.

‘They’re just so aware of what you’re doing and they really support it, it was very refreshing.’

As a memento of the Alice Cross Centre, Neil had Alice the bear poking out of his bag throughout the trip, becoming a familiar face for many hikers on the trail.

Neil said: ‘I took her wherever we went in my bumbag pouch and got photos of her throughout the trip - after a while, Alice started to become famous! People kept asking me: are you the man with the bear?’

The challenge was received well by members of the community and beyond, with donors from the local area, from various walking groups and from individuals further afield.

Neil added: ‘I’d like to thank everyone that’s contributed, my fellow walkers for coming along and obviously the Alice Cross Centre for supporting me throughout the walk.’

Jackie O’Brian, general manager at the Alice Cross Centre, said: ‘We’re just very very thankful that Neil’s done this challenge and given so much money to the centre, but we’re also inspired by him and what he’s taken on and we’re looking forward to hearing more about it on the 17th.’

► To donate, visit the ‘Camino Challenge for Alice Cross’ page on Facebook.