A YORKSHIRE estate agent is aiming to go “Around the World in 80 Days” in a bid to raise funds for Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People.

Following in the footsteps of the Jules Verne characters Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, staff from Linley & Simpson, are attempting to cover the distance around the world, 24,901 miles (40,075km), not by balloon, but on two feet and two wheels - and without travelling far from home.

To reach their target a combined daily distance of 311 miles (505km) needs to be covered by the participants, whose movements – be it walking, running, or cycling – are being recorded on a smartphone tracking app.

Martin House, based at Boston Spa, near Wetherby, supports families across West, North and East Yorkshire, providing support and palliative care for children and young people with life limiting conditions.

It costs Martin House over £9m each year to provide this vital care, which, since the middle of March, has been severely affected by the ongoing Covid crisis. Martin House only receives ten per cent statutory funding and therefore relies on donations and fundraising to cover the remaining costs.

Will Linley, Linley & Simpson Chief Executive and Co-Founder, said: “Because Covid has denied us the opportunity of taking part in a series of planned fundraising activities for Martin House, we have now devised this challenge as our grand sponsored finale of 2020.

“With a combined workforce of 260 employees, we hope we can achieve what the characters in the classics Jules Verne novel did, when they went ‘Around the World in 80 Days’, but in our case without setting foot outside of the county!

“Martin house is an incredible charity, and one that we are delighted to be supporting for at least another 12 months. Over the last five years we have raised more than £100,000, and to mark our 24th year in business we have now set ourselves a £24,000 target over the next 12 months.”

For information about Martin House visit martinhouse.org.uk/