Speedo Mick begins final fundraising walk with aim to raise a million pounds
Speedo Mick talks to ITV Granada Report's ahead of his final fundraising walk from John 'Groats to Land's End:
The fundraiser famed for wearing bright blue swimming trunks said he "couldn't have done it without" the public's support after raising more than £800,000 for charity - and has thanked the public for supporting his efforts.
Mick is hoping to hit one million pounds worth of donations by the time the walk is over.
Everton fan Mick, real name Michael Cullen, starts his walk on Thursday 29 December and said it is going to be emotional when he has to hang his Speedos up for good.
The 58-year-old said: "It's bittersweet...It gave me a purpose.
"It's given me a purpose to be busy and to be positive and to give back as well.
"And every single person who's donated, shared my posts, said 'keep going'... every single person who has done that for me over the last eight years, they've all been part of this journey.
"I could not have done this without you... The support has blown me away and honestly, just talking about it now makes me very emotional."
Speedo Mick plans to walk 15 miles a day for around two to three months in aid of The SpeedoMick Foundation, which will give grants to small grassroots charities that support mental health awareness, disadvantaged young people and the homeless.
Mr Cullen's charity triumphs have included a 2,000-mile, five-month trek across the UK and Ireland and swimming the English Channel, before he turned up to his beloved Everton Football Club's next home game in a pair of blue trunks with "Channel swimmer" written on his chest.
He has bought a tent and plans to camp throughout the walk, as well as scaling the three peaks - Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Mount Snowdon - along the way.
He added he looks forward to meeting people who will show up when he needs it most.
"I guarantee about 10 cars will pull up with roast dinners," he said.
"Someone (once) drove 700 miles to give me a cuddle and a cup of coffee.
"Another lady made her daughter drive 150 miles one way just to put a coat on me.
"I wish there was a camera above me doing the whole walk because it's magical, what happens... It's a bit like a real Disney movie."
For the first time, Speedo Mick's walk is being sponsored by a Liverpool-based contractor, Huyton Asphalt.
He has raised more than £5,500 on GoFundMe and said it would be "a perfect ending" to reach the #200,000 mark, bringing his personal fundraising total to #1 million.
"That would just be a perfect ending to the Speedo Mick stomps, wouldn't it, a million quid?" he said.
"But obviously we've got a cost-of-living crisis so I'm not expecting us to raise #200,000.
"We're just going to see how it goes, we'll be giving grants out along the way as well."
One £1,000 grant from The SpeedoMick Foundation will help take children, who might not otherwise afford it, go on a school trip to where Mr Cullen once went as a child - Colomendy adventure park in Wales.
He explained that he was only able to go when his school gave him a concession ticket.
"It will take all the kids who don't get holidays to Colomendy," he said.
"It's brilliant, it's massive."
To find out more about Mick's final fundraiser, go here here