1 week Ago By Adrian Darbyshire
Vincent Watkins has shown there’s no bar to age when it comes to walking challenges. And his efforts at the age of 96 have raised an incredible £10,000 towards the project to restore Queen’s Pier, Ramsey. When he was 95, Vincent completed the Sight Matters’ walk from Douglas to Peel along the heritage trail in just over four hours.
He then embarked on an intrepid challenge to a walk to each of the island's lighthouses and harbour lights to raise funds for the pier’s restoration. This week, the sprightly nonagenarian handed over £195 in cash to the trust volunteers. It was initially estimated that his fundraising efforts had prompted a further £250 of donations to the pier’s GoFundMe page.
But then there was another flurry of donations to the GoFundMe page after Vincent was interviewed on Manx Radio. These totalled £9,856 including one anonymous donation of no less than £9,696 - a nod to Vincent’s age of 96. This brought the total raised thanks to his efforts to more than £10,000.
Trustee Graham Curphey said: ‘This is truly magnificent, and what an inspiration Vincent is. I had the pleasure of meeting him and received the cash he had raised. What an amazing man - bright as a button.
‘The chairman, trustees, and everyone involved with the Queen's Pier Restoration Project wish to thank Vincent for his superb efforts. A massive thank you Vincent.’ Vincent was born in South Wales and moved to the Isle of Man in the 1950s.
From his home in Douglas, he has been walking the length of the Promenade almost every day for years. He was supported throughout by his two very proud daughters Maggie and Annie. You can donate to the pier project at https://www.
gofundme.com/f/queens-pier-restoration.
