Berghaus Having A Laugh

The latest recruit to the Berghaus team of sponsored athletes is a bit different, he's comedian Mark Olver who's about to walk 410 miles from his home in Bristol to this year's Edinburgh Festival.

Along the way, Mark who will be kitted out in the company's clothing and equipment, will be performing a stand-up gig every night and relying on the kindness of strangers to provide overnight accommodation as he goes. Money raised from the appearances will go to support hospices across the UK.

Mark's show at the Festival is called 'Ramble On' and he'll be writing material for it based on his experiences along the way. He'll also be joined by other comedians for some stretches of the 35-day walk and will be appearing on local radio stations en route to drum up support.

Mark also has his own page on the Berghaus web site at www.berghaus.com where you can read his blog and keep abreast of his progress and where he's performing.

"I'm doing it because I want to get out of my comfort zone.  People in general don't do enough to leave their comfort zone, because we've got everything we need at home," he says.

"This is my way of seeing Britain and meeting real people, which you don't get to do when you're on the road.  The prospect is petrifying!"

On his blog he confesses 'somewhere within me that resilience is there. It is probably lurking in a corner eating its own body weight in chocolate, but at least it's there.'

Mark sets off on 9 June with with a fundraising party at Jesters Comedy Club in Bristol the night before. His route will take him up through Monmouthshire and Herefordshire towards the Lake District, before heading east towards County Durham, then up the east coast to Edinburgh where he hopes to arrive on July 16 in good time to finalise preparations for his Festival show, Ramble On.

More details and updates at www.berghaus.com where you'll also be able to find a link to his page at www.justgiving.com