STAR Trek actor Patrick Stewart praised a deaf 85-year-old for boldly going from Stratford to London’s Globe theatre on a charity walk.
Antony Sabin, from Great Rollright, spent three weeks walking the 146 miles, accompanied for some of the distance by his hearing dog, Branson, before arriving on stage to greet the cast of Romeo and Juliet.
He raised £8,000 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and was waved off on the last leg of the walk by Mr Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Mr Stewart said: “Having done this walk myself, I can attest to its difficulty, its length and the great soreness of feet that goes with it. To manage it at 85 is the most extraordinary achievement, and we were delighted to welcome Antony to the Globe to celebrate the walk’s conclusion.”
Mr Sabin completed the walk 11 days ago, and then celebrated his 86th birthday three days later.
He said: “Having had a rather busy three weeks, I was very happy to have a quiet day on my birthday with my wife.”
He said the walk was largely in honour of Branson, who has bad arthritis, so could not accompany his owner every step of the way.
He said: “I met lots of incredibly interesting, charming and helpful people as we walked through the countryside, where I have spent practically all my life.”
In the last few years, Mr Sabin has raised more than £35,000 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, walking from Warwickshire to Devon, around the county boundary of Oxfordshire, and through the Yorkshire Dales.
Mr Sabin can be sponsored at justgiving.com/ antonybransonshakespearewalk
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