Bobby Paul is geared up for 500-mile beat

10:29am Friday 18th July 2008

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A policeman will this weekend begin a walk of more than 500 miles across northern Spain to raise money for charity.

Keighley community constable Paul Sullivan, accompanied by his wife, Karen, will follow a pilgrimage route that has existed for more than 1,000 years.

They will tackle the Way of St James, starting their trek from the Franco-Spanish border and fin-ishing at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in north-western Spain. Legend has it that the remains of the apostle St James are buried there.

Shortly before they begin the walk the couple will pay a brief visit to the French pilgrimage centre of Lourdes. During the trek itself they will stop off at the cathedral in the provincial capital, Oviedo.

PC Sullivan said he and his wife aimed to cover an average of 17 miles a day over the entire 525-mile route.

He said once they reach Santi-ago de Compostela - the official end of the pilgrimage - they will walk for a further three days to reach Cape Finisterre, one of the most westerly points of continen-tal Europe.

The couple will mostly be raising sponsorship money for Mar Elias Schools, in Galilee - which provides education for Jewish, Christian and Muslim students in the Holy Land.

They also hope to raise some cash for Hope Bradford, which is part of a national campaign to spiritually regenerate local communities. They can be sponsored online at justgiving.com/wayofstjames and details about their challenge are available at goodwillwalk.com. PC Sullivan said further information was also available at his Facebook page under the name, Paul Gerald Sullivan. He and his wife will fly out to southern France on Sunday and expect to be walking for about five-and-a-half weeks.