Saddlers fan in 138 mile Walsall to Wembley walk raises £7.5k

A promise from lifelong Saddlers fan, Graeme Brookes, who completed the heroic challenge of walking from Walsall to Wembley in just eight days.

The 31-year-old is still feeling the effects of his 138-mile journey having raised around £7,500 for the Walsall Society for the Blind - in memory of his late grandfather Ronald who followed the Saddlers for 83 years despite being both deaf and blind.

But he said the whole experience had been amazing.

"The standout points really were seeing the Wembley arch and the walk down Wembley Way – with 150 to 200 people waiting for me at the end was phenomenal, he said.

"All-in-all it felt great felt good to have done it and even better knowing the money will be helping people just like my grandfather.

"My body is gradually getting better now but I'm still very tired. My feet aren't too bad – they're quite blistered and bruised but my legs are very stiff, especially when I go to stand up."

A host of football clubs including West Brom, Yeovil and Crawley have donated signed merchandise and tickets to help bump up the fundraising total.

While the nights were spent in B&Bs along the way that were kindly donated by the owners of the properties.

Mr Brookes eventually arrived at the stadium at 1pm prior to kick off on the Sunday, only to see his side lose gracefully to League One leaders Bristol City, 2-0.

He said: "It was disappointing that it appeared that Walsall never turned up considering we're known for playing good football.

"But in the end, to me, the match became secondary. I've managed to meet a whole bunch of great people I've only ever met on the Internet and raise so much for a great charity.

"What the walk has done is help put a focus back on the Walsall Society for the Blind; people will know about the charity because of that bloke that walked to Wembley."

To read Graeme's daily blog of the journey or contribute to the donations go to www.walsalltowembley.com/.