IN just a few weeks’ time, experienced adventurer and explorer Hugo Metcalfe will set off on a 370-mile journey with a difference, as he bounces from Bilbao to Barcelona on a pair of spring-loaded stilts in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care.

As well as attempting to set a new Guinness World Record, he will also be raising money for the Farnham-based hospice care charity, which provides supportive and end-of-life care for patients and families who are living with an advanced or terminal illness, such as cancer.

Hugo is undertaking his adventure in memory of his friend Sarah Louise Jacobi, and hopes to set the world record for the longest distance travelled on spring-oaded stilts. He plans to bounce 25 miles a day across the north of Spain, carrying with him a small pack with his food, water and supplies, and sleeping in a Bivi Bag - a waterproof sleeping bag - at night.

“The world is vast and there are so many places to see,” he said. “Yet we are not always given the time we might want to explore. Sarah’s time was shorter than most. Barcelona was on her list of places to visit and she didn’t get a chance to go there. I hope therefore to carry her memory with me as I set out on this latest adventure, with a spring in my step.”

“We are thrilled that Hugo has chosen to support us and wish him every success in this fantastic and unusual challenge,” said Charli Quay-Barnham, community fundraising manager at Phyllis Tuckwell. “Every day we support over 250 patients, relatives and carers - in their own homes, in the community, at the Hospice in Farnham and at the Beacon Centre in Guildford – but as the NHS/Government only covers 20 per cent of our costs, we have to raise over £20,000 a day to be able to offer all our services, and rely heavily on the support and generosity of our local community to help us do this.”

Clinical psychology doctoral student and self-styled adventure philanthropist, Hugo Metcalfe is the founding member of The Urbane Explorers, and has completed many charitable expeditions since 2008, including kayaking the length of the Mississippi, cycling a tandem from China to Pakistan, racing a TukTuk 4,000km across India, and becoming the first person to walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China solo.

To support Hugo in his latest challenge by making a donation to Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care, call the Phyllis Tuckwell fundraising team on 01252 729446 or email [email protected] and quote ‘Bouncing to Barcelona’!