A former Otley Scout is preparing to undertake a 1,450-mile sponsored walk to support the movement.

Adam Dawson, who was born in the town and studied at Prince Henry’s Grammar School, is doing the length-of-Britain challenge to raise money for the Scouting Association Hardship Fund.

Taking a 14-week sabbatical from work, Adam – who now lives ‘down south’ – will set off from the Lizard Peninsula at the end of March and make his way up to Dunnet Head at the tip of Scotland, which he hopes to reach by mid-July.

En route he will take in some of the UK’s most iconic locations, including Land’s End, John O’ Groats, Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis.

For Adam, who has wanted to do the walk ever since completing a sponsored bike ride from Land’s End to John O’ Groats in 2005, there was a very personal reason for choosing the Scouts as his beneficiaries.

He said: “I’m doing this because both of my sons have been lucky enough to go to Jamborees (in 2007 in Essex, and in 2011 in Sweden).

“They benefited greatly from the opportunity it gave them to meet young people from 150 countries around the world, and to learn about their different cultures.

“I would like to offer something back to the Scouting Association which has had such a major and positive impact on my boys’ childhood and young adulthood.

“The Scouting Association Hardship Fund enables UK Scouts or Guides who would not normally be able to afford it to go to the World Scout Jamboree in 2015.

“The Jamborees are held every four years, and being in Japan next time makes this one particularly expensive to attend.”

Adam, who plans to camp as much as he can along the way, got in touch with the Wharfedale & Aireborough Observer after seeing a recent story about two Otley Scouts who are fundraising to go to Japan. He can be sponsored at adamswalk.com.