Altar boy takes on Cornish trek

Gerard will be swapping Clifton Cathedral for the Cornish coast

A young Bristol man is raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by hiking around Cornwall.

Gerard Owen, 21, has just returned from teaching in Austria and used the mountainous landscape as training.

He is due to set out from Land's End on 14 July 2009, with his friend Jonathan Hockedy from Frome in Somerset.

Gerard said: "The RNLI's volunteer crews save over 8,000 lives per year. The money we raise will help to continue saving lives."

Gerard and Jonathan hope to arrive in Plymouth on July 26, having walked a distance of 138 miles and climbed over 10,000 metres - that's more than the height of Mount Everest.

Jonathan said: "We've wanted to walk the coast path for years, and when we discussed our route, we were struck by the number of lifeboat stations we would pass, and the importance of the RNLI's work."

Gerard is also an altar server at Clifton Cathedral and is receiving the support of his parish community.

Clifton Cathedral Dean Canon Alan Finley said: "Gerard is a wonderful example of young people in our area. His thoughts and actions show he puts assisting others at the top of his priorities.

"I wish him well for his Cornish challenge as do the whole of the parish here in Clifton."