I’m Ben. A rower turned runner. I'm not a celebrity, not an influencer - just someone who believes ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
This July I’ll race 135 miles through Death Valley to raise £30,000 for The Allegr Foundation.
I don’t usually fundraise off the back of races. But when you’re running 135 miles in 50°C heat, it feels right to make it count for something bigger.
Badwater 135 demands a four-person crew, equipment and countless supporters. The race itself is proof that nobody achieves anything extreme alone.
That’s exactly what Walk+Talk is built on - the idea that connection is what keeps people going.
I co-founded The Allegr Foundation because I’ve seen what happens when people show up for each other, week after week, with no agenda other than a shared purpose.
It changes lives. It changed mine.
This race is my personal Everest. But the real win is using it as a spotlight for a cause that deserves one.
Centred around our ‘Health through Connection’ mantra - we build activity programmes, fostering human connection, to improve wellbeing. Read more...
Our flagship programme is Walk+Talk. We run this in the community, and for the military veterans. It’s a simple and effective project, that gets people active, engaged and talking. The walks accommodate absolutely everyone - and with the help of social prescribing, also offer effective signposting support to those who are especially isolated and lonely - intercepting them before potential crisis.
The formula may be simple - but its impact is proving itself very positive and significant.
£100 - Trains and equips a new volunteer walk leader.
£500 - Launches and maintains an entire new Walk+Talk hub for a full year - weekly sessions, a trained leader, and a community that didn’t exist before.
Reaching our full target funds new Walk+Talk hubs across the UK and a part-time Volunteer & Walks Manager - a dedicated role to recruit, train and support the volunteers who make every session happen. Our walks rely on the generous time given by our volunteers; to scale responsibly, we need someone focused entirely on looking after them.
Walk+Talk is The Allegr Foundation’s flagship programme. Free, weekly community walks - open to everyone - that turn strangers into teammates and chip away at loneliness, one conversation at a time. We run sessions in the community and for military veterans.
On 27 July I’ll be running through Death Valley. It will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But the reason I’m doing it is simple: no one should have to feel alone.
Your donation - whatever the amount - directly funds new Walk+Talk communities. And if you can’t donate right now, sharing this page is just as powerful. Thank you for being part of the journey.