Endurance fundraiser Karen Penny is passing through Cumbria as a step on her nationwide journey.

Karen has been walking from Ireland around Britain with inspired people joining her along the way. Karen has been staying with people as she passes through Britain’s towns and taking in some of the sights and local past times along the way.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” she said, “I’ve got company all the way round the North West and it’s just people really wanting to help somebody on a big expedition and a huge adventure, raising funds for a really fabulous charity for Alzheimers.”

On her way to Workington from Whitehaven, via Harrington, Karen was joined by Anne Atkinson who gave her a place to stay in St Bees.

With ‘The Penny Rolls on: Walking the Coast of Britain and Ireland,’ Karen is raising funds for Alzheimers Research UK. Although the three-year trek is a huge undertaking, Karen has plenty of motivation to complete it: “I lost my mother-in-law and father-in-law to Alzheimers, it had a huge impact on us as a family.”

Her end goal is to raise £100,000 and she has already gathered £40,234.

And Anne was full of admiration for Karen: “She is an amazing woman.”

When she landed in Workington, she was joined by another inspired Cumbrian, Teresa Smith of Edderside near Allonby. Teresa said: “I’ve been a walker myself for a long time. And I’ve done long distance walks, of course nothing at all in her league, so I can empathise with what it’s like to be cold and hungry and need a bath and a warm bed. When I found out what she was doing it blew my mind.”

Teresa gave Karen a place to stay for two nights and joined her on a leg of the journey between Maryport and Allonby. The two parted ways at Silloth on Friday after Karen had made a huge impression on Teresa: “For her to take on this way of trying to get the government and people to take notice, it’s incredible.”

She enjoyed the time socialising with Karen: “I loved her, I would recommend it to anyone. I’m so glad I did, she’s a fabulous person, she’s great fun and she’s very interesting she’s got so many tales to tell of course.”