Modern Languages graduate walking the coast of Great Britain for homelessness charity
In August 2023, Claire Allen (BA Hons French with Spanish, 2001) set off from John O’ Groats on an epic year-long charity challenge that will see her cover the entire 5,000-mile coastline of Great Britain – on foot! - to raise awareness and funds for national homelessness charity, Shelter.
18 October 2023
In August 2023, Claire Allen (BA Hons French with Spanish, 2001) set off from John O’ Groats on an epic year-long charity challenge that will see her cover the entire 5,000-mile coastline of Great Britain – on foot! - to raise awareness and funds for national homelessness charity, Shelter.
Two months into her journey, having traversed the east coast of Scotland, Northumberland and Teesside (with an inland detour to Newcastle!), we caught up with Claire to find out more about her charity challenge and look back at her time at University.
Hi Claire, thanks for finding the time to speak to us! How have you found the walk so far?
It’s going well thank you. The east coast of Scotland was a stunning place to start from, and it’s made me very excited to get back round to the west coast at some point next year!
I’ve been away from home for around two months now, so I’m missing my family and friends lots. But I always try and schedule at least one phone call with a loved one each day which I’ve found really helps. It can really buoy you up if you’re having a hard day!
The hardest bit of challenge is working out where to stay every night. I’ve got all the kit – a good tent, waterproofs – and most of the time there’s a campsite, but when there isn’t, it means finding a safe, sheltered place to wild camp which isn’t always easy.
It’s made me realise how grateful I am that this is a choice for me. I could go home tomorrow. But for people who are homeless, they don’t have that safety net and have to think about this stuff every single day. It must be so draining worrying about your safety and the best place to bed down for the night.
That’s why I wanted to use this experience to raise awareness and money for Shelter – I’ve set an initial fundraising target of £5,000 (£1 for every mile!) but am hoping I’ll reach that figure quickly and be able to increase the target as I go.
Early 2023 was the worst period of homelessness in England since records began because of the combined housing and cost-of-living crisis. Hopefully, I can make a difference.
That’s such a great cause. How far have you got on your journey so far?
As we speak (on 5 October), I’m in Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire. I aim to do around 15-20 miles each day, which gives me a day off each week for rest and recovery. I’m lucky tonight in that I’ve been offered a bed at a friend of a friend’s home nearby!
I started my journey at John O’ Groats on 8 August, so I’ve covered all of the east coast of Scotland, then through Northumberland, Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside. Along the way, I’ve been trying to taste all of the local delicacies of the places I’m passing through. Highlights so far have been Arbroath Smokies and Newcastle stotties (of course!)
It was lovely to be able to take a little detour inland and spend a weekend in Newcastle a few weeks ago. I’ve only been back once before since graduating in 2001, so a lot had changed, but it still felt familiar.
I met a friend from my time at Newcastle University Boat Club, and we headed to the Quayside and Jesmond, where we lived together in our second year. It was great to return to Dene’s Deli for lunch! I also returned to campus for a little walk round and couldn’t believe how lovely the gardens and grounds were – it’s obviously not something you pay attention to as a 19-year-old student!
It’s made me realise how grateful I am that this is a choice for me. I could go home tomorrow. But for people who are homeless, they don’t have that safety net.
And are there any particular places you’re looking forward to reaching most (other than home!)?
As I’ve said, Scotland was amazing at the start of my journey so I’m looking forward to circling back round to the west coast for the end of the journey next year too. I’ve got Whitby coming up which I’m excited about visiting, and I don’t know Norfolk very well so I’m looking forward to exploring that part of the country. I’m also can’t wait to be walking in Wales as it’s not too far from my home in Bristol, so my friends will be able to join me and keep me company!
Sounds fun! Can you tell us a little bit about your university experience?
My time at Newcastle University was so happy - It really shaped who I am today and I made some lifelong friends.
The Boat Club was a big part of my life in first and second year – I was part of the First 8 team so there were lots of early mornings on the Tyne and weekends racing! I made lots of great friends rowing, many I’m still in touch with today.
Speaking of boats, The Boat was also a big part of my life at Newcastle! Every Monday night without fail we’d head down to the Quayside for a night on the Tuxedo Princess – always before 9pm so we could avoid the £1 entry fee!
I studied French and Spanish and had a year abroad between my second and third year, which was a pretty formative experience. I remember being really nervous about moving abroad and not knowing anyone, but I loved every second.
When I was back in Newcastle for my fourth and final year, I lived out in South Gosforth and we would hang out on campus at the Open Access Centre. Such fond memories!
Thank you for sharing those memories. We know a lot of alumni remember The Boat fondly! And where did life take you after graduation?
So initially I spent around 6 months in France working as a cook, and then I moved to London to pursue my dream of being a food writer. I spent some time temping at various food magazines and working as a cook alongside these roles before I really landed on my feet and got a job at Good Housekeeping!
I spent 4 years at Good Housekeeping in their Cookery team, and it taught me so many invaluable skills in writing and communications which has served me well in my career since.
When I was on a press trip to a farm in Devon, I met the chef Barny Haughton. He told me he was about to open Bordeaux Quay – a pioneering eco restaurant, bakery and cookery school. I came home feeling really inspired and excited about the project and so wrote to him afterwards. He ended up offering me a job running the cookery school!
I’m really excited to see what the next year will bring for me, and hopefully I’ll be able to raise lots of money for Shelter in the process!
The cookery school was the not-for-profit arm of the business and it was my first experience working in a charity. I was initially just covering someone’s maternity leave, but I ended up staying with Bordeaux Quay for 6 years, until 2012. I helped register the cookery school as an independent charity and even when I moved to a new role, I stayed on as their sole fundraiser – juggling two jobs!
In 2022, I left both of those roles to join FareShare South West as their Communications Manager. FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 18 independent organisations (including FareShare South West). We take good quality surplus food from the food industry and redistribute it to nearly 8,500 frontline charities and community groups around the country.
I really loved my time at FareShare, and taking the plunge and handing my notice in to embark on this challenge was definitely the most difficult part of the whole process! But I knew it was the right time for me to seize the day and I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
I’m really excited to see what the next year will bring for me, and hopefully I’ll be able to raise lots of money for Shelter in the process!
Good luck, Claire!
How you can support Claire
Claire has set up a JustGiving page to raise money for national homelessness charity, Shelter. You can sponsor her as she continues her epic challenge by visiting her fundraising page here.
If you’d like to follow Claire’s progress around the country, follow her on Instagram @clairesgreatbritishwalk
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