A MAN walking from one end of the country to the other while hitting a golf ball and also stopping to teach lifesaving skills is passing through Dorset this week.

Former armed forces skiing and mountain craft trainer David Sullivan is undertaking a mammoth challenge walking more than 1,000 miles from John O'Groats to Land's End over 10 weeks.

At each stop on his journey he offers free training on how to save lives using CPR.

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David 58, from Surrey, is raising money for the British Heart Foundation and his aim is to get a defibrillator installed in every community he passes through.

To make the challenge a little more difficult David is hitting a golf ball along the route. It is estimated he will make a quarter of a million golf shots during the challenge.

He began The World’s Longest Golf Hole challenge on June 11. He was due to stop in Bournemouth today, Dorchester tomorrow and Charmouth on Thursday, aiming to arrive at 3pm each day.

David said: “My aim is to raise £60,000, which would place a life-saving defibrillator in every one of the locations I’ll be visiting on my route.

“To have a chance of reaching this goal, I’m calling out to local businesses and individuals to be as generous as they can - this generosity could easily save a life one day. That’s an incredible legacy for everyone who donates.”

David’s passion for teaching people CPR came about when he was faced with a life-or-death situation. When a young man experienced a cardiac arrest in front of him, David luckily knew what to do.

He said: “It was thanks to my training, and a defibrillator being nearby, that I was able to help save the man, who luckily made a full recovery.

“When something like that happens right in front of you, it makes you realise how precious life is and how important it is to know what to do in that kind of emergency. It was an experience which profoundly affected me, and now it’s my mission to create an army of life savers all over the country.”

American Golf is sponsoring David on this adventure.

Gary Favell, CEO of American Golf said: “When we heard about the incredible challenge David had set himself, we immediately wanted to lend support. David has found a way to harness his golfing prowess not only to highlight the importance of knowing CPR through his own personal experience, but to train people along his journey whilst raising funds for the British Heart Foundation – he is a true inspiration."

Donations can be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/david-sullivan-77.

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