A DEDICATED fundraiser who has carried out a gruelling challenge in support of refugees will complete his mission this Friday, finishing outside Bradford’s City Hall.

Ray Milne, 62, has spent every day of the last 12 months walking to raise money for refugees from Afghanistan, and more recently, refugees from Ukraine too.

Ray has walked 5km every day during the week and 10km on each day of the weekend, raising over £1,600 so far.

Ray - who works in life insurance and pensions - has been committed, walking early in the mornings during the week so that it does not interfere with his day job, and even refusing to take a day off on Christmas.

He is a board member at Horton Housing Association, on Little Horton Lane, who will use the funds to continue supporting refugees.

“It’s a great cause which I’m happy to support”, Ray said.

“I work for Schroders Personal Wealth in Leeds, who agreed to match the funding. For every pound I raise, they will give another pound.

“We need to help countries like Afghanistan and Ukraine, we should all do our bit.

“I also think we should be welcoming greater numbers of refugees.”

Ray, who is originally from Edinburgh and now lives in Huddersfield, said his daily walks are “therapeutic”.

“I’m healthier than ever. I’m 62 and feel 25 again”, he added.

“I listen to podcasts on my walks, which have been an eye opener. I used to just spend time watching the news, but with podcasts you can explore other things.

“I’m into climate change and astronomy and there are fascinating podcasts on those things.”

But Ray admitted that it has been difficult at times.

“Doing it every day means in the rain, snow and hail”, he said.

“5k usually takes around 50 minutes. It got really tricky when I had flu, but I still got out there.

“Early mornings in winter were also hard because of how dark it was. I had to wear a high vis as a precaution.

“I was never big on walking, but Covid made me want to get out of the house.

“When I started I found incredible benefits, including photography. I’ve got an incredible collection of photos of amazing places in West Yorkshire.

“I’d encourage others who want to get into walking to start small. I walked up the road and found footpaths and forests I never knew existed.

“If you look hard enough, it’s all around.”

To support Ray, visit here.