When Steam Packet Captain Dermot O’Toole completed his 18th consecutive Parish Walk last year, he also celebrated walking more than 1,500 miles of the Island’s roads while raising nearly ?15,000 for local charities.
Dermot first completed the walk in 1995 when there were around 260 starters. In 2012, more than 1,500 competitors set off from the National Sports Centre and more than 200 finished within the 24 hours allowed. His time of 21:24:38 was a little slower than his best time of 19:53.04, set in 2005, but then his fastest ever circumnavigation of the Island is just two hours – while in charge of Manannan!
In 2005 Dermot published a book entitled 'A Walk Through Time' about the history of the Parish Walk and is currently working on the next edition – in between preparing for the 2013 Parish Walk in June.
Dermot thanked his friends and colleagues at the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for their continued support in raising funds. The monies raised last year were topped up by the Company to bring the amount up to ?1,000 and a cheque was recently presented to Manx Cancer Help.
‘The generosity of those who sponsor me and help raise funds each year is always astounding,’ said Dermot. ‘It’s fantastic that everybody is eager to lend their support, and it really does make such a difference to a very worthwhile cause.’
Photo - Captain Dermot O’Toole presents a cheque for ?1,000 to Ally Martin of Manx Cancer Help, the money raised by completing his 18th consecutive Parish Walk.
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