A woman from Chippenham has taken on the fierce challenge of walking the entire coastline of Britain.

Tracey Hannam, 54, worked as a manager of the RSPCA shop in Chippenham before the outbreak of Covid-19 took hold and she lost her job.

At around the same time she also left her ex-partner and the home they shared, and a trip to the USA she had been looking forward to, to visit her eight grandchildren had been cancelled due to Covid restrictions.

She said the culmination was she went into a 'downwards spiral'.

Ms Hannam explained: “I found myself feeling I had nothing… my heart was in tatters, and my mind was confused as to what I would do at the age of 53-years-old.”

She decided to take it back to basics and quickly bought a tent for a challenge she set herself the bold challenge, all to raise as much money for the mental health charity MIND as possible.

The determined fundraiser has already walked over 3,000 miles.

Ms Hannam noted: “I decided to buy my two-kilogram Big Agnes copper spur tent, otherwise known as Aggie, pack my bag and go to my happy place. I headed straight for the coast.”

Stressing why the cause is important to her, she said: “My mum committed suicide when I was four and left three little girls.”

Ms Hannam added: “I’ve done this walk by wild camping 85 per cent of the time. The two lockdowns didn’t stop me.

"A broken ankle didn’t stop me. Other people, and the ups and downs of life didn’t stop me. I just plodded on.”

Believing she still has thousands of miles to go, and around three years to go until her challenge of walking the entire is complete, the outdoor-loving walker has stayed optimistic throughout her journey so far.

Ms Hannam said: “I am doing it because I can and because I want to. I love being feral and free in the great outdoors by living, feeling, seeing, doing all I can to empower myself as a woman and a human being.

She also feels strongly about inspiring others to get out there and try something new, adding: “Let nature nurture your soul. It has benefitted me in so many ways.”

Since starting the challenge, people have been following her journey on her Facebook page: "Walk with me, Tracey and Aggies Epic hike around the UK Coastline" where she promotes the businesses and people who have been helping her out along the way.

Exceeding the initial target of £600, Ms Hannam’s fundraiser now stands at an impressive figure of £3,245 from donations of her supporters.