Eric at the end of last year’s walk.

Eric’s pier walk to raise funds for Conquest Hospital Radio

For the third time Eric Peckham is undertaking a sponsored walk from Eastbourne pier to Hastings pier to raise money for Conquest Hospital Radio, on which he is a presenter. Nick Terdre listened in on his plan.

“I have two aims,” Eric says. “The first is to raise more than £174, which is what I raised last year, and I am trying to do it in less than six hours, which was last year’s time.” His aim this year is to push the total amount raised to more than £200.

“It can be challenging to complete the walk, but I enjoy walking. I get the occasional hit of sciatica, which can be painful enough to keep me in bed for a couple of days at a time. Walking eases it, once I can move again.

“Last year’s walk was difficult, at the end, due to the heat. By the time I reached Bexhill, I was ready to quit, but I kept going because I felt people were relying on me to complete it. I was totally exhausted at the end, and spent a couple of days on the sofa. It was worth it, thought, when they did the final count of what I had earned. The weather will either make it easy or difficult, I just try to roll with it.”

Eric will be walking the walk on Saturday 25 May, and with no heat wave currently in the offing, should enjoy cooler conditions than last year.

Eric in the studio.

In November he completes 10 years working for Conquest Hospital Radio, where he presents three classical music programmes a week.

“My original reason for joining was to gain some studio experience for a university course which, in the end, didn’t work out, but I ended up staying because I enjoyed the work and the people are great, and we’re all volunteers,” he said.

Eric’s walk can be sponsored via a PayPal button on the home page of the Conquest Hospital website.

Also in: Hastings People