Yahoo News Fundraiser ‘Speedo Mick’ completes final charity walk after hitting £1m target
A man who has raised over £1m over the past nine years walking across the UK in his bright blue Speedos is hanging up his trunks for the last time.
Michael Cullen, 58, completed his final fundraising challenge on Tuesday, which saw him walk the 1,000-mile journey from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall.
Known as "Speedo Mick", the scantily clad hiker endured freezing temperatures over the years as he raised money to help disadvantaged young people, the homeless and people suffering from mental health issues.
Money raised from his hikes goes towards the SpeedoMickFoundation, which gives grants to small grassroots charities.
Cullen was inspired to help following his recovery from alcohol and substance addiction, adding that he believes he has “done what I needed to do to make amends and to give back”.
His latest challenge has seen him raise just over £200,000, bringing his total fundraising over the last nine years to £1 million.
After completing his feat, Cullen, from Liverpool, said: "It hasn’t been donated by me it has been donated by the general public.
“So I can’t take credit for that for the million quid but I will take credit for the blisters, the chafing and the aches and pains.
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“I just want to say thank you for every single penny that has been donated to good causes right across the country.”
Cullen set off from John O’Groats four months ago after completing the same journey twice before in 2019 and 2020, camping in his tent along the way and walking through treacherous weather.
He embarked on his final leg from Penzance around 10am on Saturday morning, sporting his trademark Speedos and shouting “what could go wrong?”
As he arrived at Land’s End crowds of people gathered to watch Cullen complete his final challenge for charity.
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The seasoned walker had previously said he would be “hanging up my Blue knickers forever more” after this “final stomp” as he wanted to spend more time with his family.
He added: “I’m freezing cold, but I’m excited to see all of my family. I just want to see my own bed... just want to have some beans on toast.”
“I’m a bit knackered now I also want to spend more time with my loved ones as we don’t have them forever do we?”
While Cullen insists this is his last challenge of that nature, he is definitely not done with helping good causes.
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“I can’t sit still for very long so I’m going to have to put my energy somewhere, so I’m going to put it into the Speedo Mick projects for mental health and stuff like that," he said.
He added: “I believe with all my heart that every single person – not that they’d want to run up Ben Nevis in a pair of knickers at minus 18C – but I believe everybody has got that power within them.
"If it’s just to run a 5k, when they believe they can’t do it, it’s in there.”
