A CORNISH grandmother dubbed ‘Action Nan’ is walking the length of the Cornish coast path to raise money for the RNLI.

Pat Smith, 67, will cover 297 miles in total from Marsland, near Bude, to Cremyll with the aim of raising £10,000 for the charity that saves lives at sea.

The grandmother of four set off this morning (Wednesday, April 6) and will be visiting RNLI lifeboat stations along the way before finishing the trek on Wednesday, April 27.

No stranger to a challenge, Pat has previously completed a charity cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Since recovering well from two hip replacements, Pat said she is ready to take on her next big adventure.

She said: “It has been ten years since I did my last challenge. I am a sailor so I realise how important the RNLI is. I go to the beaches with my children and grandchildren and we rely on the lifeguards to look after us.

“I love walking and I love the Cornish coast, so I thought I could do this challenge to raise money for a charity which is close to my heart.”

Pat has been training for the walk for several weeks in all weathers and during her challenge she will walk between ten and 18 miles a day, staying overnight in a different location every night.

Pat’s first overnight stay was in Bude and she will be setting off first thing tomorrow morning (Thursday, April 7) at 9am from Bude Lifeboat Station where she is inviting people to walk a little or all of the way with her until her next stop.

The money raised from the three week trek will be divided up between the Penlee Lifeboat Station appeal and RNLI lifeboat stations in Cornwall.

Ben Bowskill, RNLI community fundraising manager, said: “Pat is taking on a terrific challenge and we are delighted that she has chosen to support the RNLI.

“The RNLI is a charity which relies entirely on donations. It is thanks to fantastic fundraisers like Pat that our volunteer lifeboat crew members are able to continue their lifesaving work around the coast of Cornwall.

“We wish Pat the very best of luck on her latest adventure.”

Pat will keep a diary of her trip which will be updated with blogs, videos and photos on her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ActionNan

You can also follow her on Twitter using the handle @ActionNan.

To see how Pat’s fundraising is going or to make a donation, her fundraising page can be found at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ActionNan. Her total currently stands at just over £3,000.