Former London Owl Jim Morton has been released from hospital today after suffering a frightening fall in Scotland during his walk around the coast of the Great Britain mainland.
Jim was flown by helicopter to Inverness Hospital, 80 miles from the scene of the drama on Monday, after falling some 20 feet from a cliff and being knocked unconscious.
His wife Sue, who has been driving the couple’s motorhome on the trip and updating his social media, posted on Facebook today: “Jim had a bleed on his brain and a broken thumb, black eye and bruising and cuts on his body.
“He was very lucky not to be more seriously hurt.
“But he came out of hospital this morning and I drove us back to the campsite we were at on Monday.”
Jim, who has been keeping followers in touch with his exploits on Facebook and Instagram, says he will be taking his time to get back on the walk and will not be returning to his average of 20 miles a day straightaway.
Everyone from the London Owls sends you our best wishes for a speedy recovery, Jim … but make sure you’re fit and ready to continue before you put on your walking boots again.
We reported on our website recently of how Jim, an active member of our club in the late seventies and early eighties, had completed more than 2,000 miles of his amazing 7,500-mile walk
It has been a lifetime ambition of Jim’s to complete the coastal challenge and, at the same time, he is raising money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
He is a Royal Navy veteran, having worked closely with the Gurkhas as a teenage rating on HMS Gurkha, and is now raising money for the Trust after seeing veterans and their families suffer in the Nepal earthquake back in 2015.
He has so far raised almost £6,000 of his £50,000 target and all monies will go towards rebuilding villages and homes so badly hit by the destruction.
Jim, still very much an avid Wednesday fan, began the tremendous trek from his hometown of Penistone in April, and added to the 2,000-plus miles under his belt, he has already scaled Scafell and Ben Nevis en route.
You can follow Jim’s exploits on his Facebook and Instagram pages ‘I may be gone a while’ and if you would like to sponsor Jim you can go to his Just Giving page ‘I may be gone a while’.
We’ll also continue to monitor Jim’s progress on the London Owls website for our members.
Take care, Jim. WAWAW!