A former paratrooper who spent six years walking the UK shoreline has spoken of his devastation on the demise of the canine who joined him on his journey.
Chris Lewis, 43, paid tribute to Jet, his trustworthy companion who he adopted on his walk.
Jet, a white lurcher with a brown patch of fur on her left facet, ended up becoming a member of him for the rest of his 17,000-mile expedition.
Mr Lewis began his epic walk from Llangennith seashore on the Gower Peninsula, close to his home metropolis of Swansea, South Wales, on August 1 2017, with simply £10 in his pocket and some days of provides, hoping to lift £100,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.
When he returned to the spot the place all of it started in July final yr, he had raised 5 instances that quantity, with Jet, his accomplice Kate Barron, now 37, and son Magnus, now 23 months.
Writing on his Facebook web page, Wilderness Family, Mr Lewis mentioned his coronary heart has by no means been so damaged and requested Jet to attend for him “on the other side”.
He mentioned: “There are simply no words I can use to hide how devastated me, Kate and Magnus are at this moment.
“Our beautiful Jet, my best friend and my shadow has left us.
“She leaves behind a legacy few ever have. She helped fix me, she walked 17,000 miles, she helped me gain a family. She was loved by so many and helped raise over half a million for charity.
“Above all I have lost the dearest most loving friend anyone could ask for. My heart is broken and a void shall remain that can never be filled.
“Her love and loyalty won the hearts of a nation and beyond.
“Jet my friend you are a legend. I am going to miss you so bloody much.
“I know if she could, she would say thank you for all your love and support over the years, so I’ll say it for her. Thank you.”
His journey noticed Mr Lewis spend the primary coronavirus lockdown on an uninhabited Shetland island, Hildasay.
His bestselling e-book, Finding Hildasay, encompasses a foreword by fellow adventurer Ben Fogle, who has supported Mr Lewis throughout his journey together with different well-known faces together with astronaut Tim Peake.
In the e-book, Mr Lewis wrote of how he and Jet met in March 2018, lower than a yr into his journey.
While he was on his walk, he was advised {that a} household was in search of somebody to undertake a canine and met them at a pub in Irvine, North Ayrshire.
He described himself as “nervous about the whole situation” and questioned if it was a nasty thought, however the two rapidly bonded.
Jet was scared throughout their first assembly, and Mr Lewis stayed awake all night time to consolation her, and within the morning she adopted him on his journey. He described her because the “best friend I would ever have”.
Mr Lewis served with 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment and struggled to manage after coming into civilian life. He determined to walk the UK shoreline after struggling with anxiousness and despair.
The father-of-two was dealing with homelessness when he set off in August 2017, carrying an ill-fitting pair of borrowed boots with restricted provides.
Three years into the trek, he met Ms Barron in Scotland and she or he joined his walk just a few months later.
The household’s fundraising web page is at justgiving.com/fundraising/chriswalks
