TikTok influencers walk 140 miles for charity

Two TikTok influencers who met through social media are walking 140 miles (225 km) from Coventry to Wales to raise money for a bereavement charity.

Shane Cole, from Walsgrave, Coventry, and Joel Redhead, from Hull, are fundraising for Chasing Rainbows, which supports families who have lost a child.

The pair, who set off on Tuesday, will walk at least a marathon a day for five days in memory of Mr Redhead's nephew, Jude, who died shortly after he was born in November.

Mr Cole described the charity as "really close to Joel's heart".

"It has really helped his sister who struggled and didn't know who to talk to, but now she goes to the support groups and openly talks about it," he said.

He added they had raised more than £20,000 before the walk even started, which meant a lot to his friend.

"We received a £4,200 donation while we were on a live stream the other night and he just burst out crying," Mr Cole said.

The pair plan to camp each night along the route, which will end at Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon.

Mr Cole said their social media followers had already reached out to help.

"We're putting our route out each day and they've offered us places where we can stay in their back gardens, cook in their kitchens and charge our phones," he said.

They hope to reach the Welsh mountain by Sunday and climb to their finish line at the summit.

The influencers previously took part in a challenge to raise money for a men's mental health charity by driving from John O'Groats to Lands End.

"That's where we started to get a bond with each other," Mr Cole said.

"[Joel's] really hyper and he's going to keep the spirits high."

The pair are documenting their journey online to "raise as much awareness as possible".

"We're going to be posting endless videos along the way and try keep it upbeat along the way by playing pranks on each other, but also remembering the serious reason why we're doing this," Mr Cole said.

"The biggest donation the charity has ever received is £10,000 so already our community has raised more than it has ever had.

"The more awareness and the more we raise, the more we will be able to help."

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