Garston man to hike 18 miles to raise cash for attack victim (From Watford Observer)

Laurie Douglas to hike 18 miles through Watford, Bushey, Bedmond and Kings Langley to raise cash for attack victim

3:50pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News By Adam Binnie, Senior Reporter

A Garston gardener is taking on an 18-mile hike across south west Hertfordshire in order to raise money for his friend, who was brutally beaten up just before Christmas.

Laurie Douglas, 46, will leave his home in The Pelhams and trek through Watford, Bushey, Bedmond and Kings Langley in a target time of four hours, on Saturday, January 19.

He is hoping to raise about £500 for his friend, who was attacked during a night out in Watford and can no longer work.

Mr Douglas, a father-of-four, said: "One of my friends was brutally beaten up in Watford before Christmas, resulting in him having an operation on both sides of his leg, leaving huge scars.

"He will not be able to work for six to 12 months so I decided to revisit the 18.2 mile trek I did in 2010 to help raise funds for this injustice to a friend.

"He’s a really nice lad; it was a case of mistaken identity."

Mr Douglas first took on the challenging 18.2 mile route in 2010, in aid of two friends, Jimmy Green and Graham Rodgers, who had both been battling illnesses.

Since then he has regularly raised money for friends from the Brow Club in Woodside.

He said: "I’m not a runner but I can walk, and you still get to the same place in the end. I walk six miles a day now. It’s easy, you just put one foot in front of the other.

"I will always try to help illness, hardship or injustice because I feel it brings communities together."

Mr Douglas' wanderlust has taken him from 17 stone down to ten stone in just two years.

He added: "When you’re walking there are no distractions, I think about my kids and my family a lot.

"If you think about things and put them in order then hopefully you can find a solution to them, and I can raise money too."