So Katy, walk the Mersey...

A High Peak hiker is set to walk the full length of the River Mersey to raise funds for her local community centre.

Katy Pearson will set off on her 100-mile trek from New Mills tomorrow (Monday March 10), following the banks of the River Goyt until it meets the River Tame in Stockport, where it becomes the Mersey. 

She hopes to raise £2,500 for the Rock Mill Centre in New Mills by following the river downstream all the way to where it empties into the sea at Liverpool Bay. 

From there she'll keep walking until reaching the edge of the Ribble Estuary just north of Southport.

“I moved to New Mills in September 2022 and found myself alone in a new town after my 10-year relationship ended,” Katy said.  

“I knew no one in the local area but had already fallen for New Mills enough that I wanted to start again here. 

“In November 2022 I went to my first volunteers meeting to support the Centre staying open as a warm space for those that needed it, and the rest is history. 

“I met people that have accepted me for all that I am in a very difficult time in my life, I meet so many incredible people – whether they're visitors or life-long residents – and it's always, always a safe, welcoming place to be. 

“Without Rock Mill, I wouldn't have the community I have around me now.  

“I've put down roots, I now call this place my home and have people I consider family around me that have seen me through the darkest of times.  

“It's all thanks to the connections I first made at Rock Mill, and this is the least I can do to say thank you.” 

It isn’t the first time Katy has embarked on a fundraising odyssey. 

In October 2022, she set out to ride her old bike back to New Mills from her dad’s house in Bournemouth, with sponsors pledging almost £3,500 towards the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and High Peak Homeless Help.