A WREXHAM man walking across America has raised over £7,500 for charity, despite having to eventually cut his journey short.

Paul Edwards is a marathon and ultramarathon runner from Penycae who has raised thousands for Hope House over the years.

His latest challenge began on Friday, January 6 and saw him depart from the Pacific Coast in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California.

That was then supposed to see him walk an epic 3,000 miles during an estimated five-month long journey.

But, having just recently passed the half-way point at Texas, Paul has sadly had to call it a day on his mission due to safety concerns.

In a statement on social media, Paul said: "If you’ve watched my video, you’ll have felt the pain in the decision that I’ve had to make."

He added: "I’ve decided sadly to call it a day with the walk after 1,818 miles walked. It’s just too dangerous to carry on with this route and after quite a few near misses with traffic drifting over onto the walkway, I know that the sensible decision is to stop this challenge as the traffic will only get worse as I head into more populated areas.

"Sometimes you have to make difficult choices, but this is the sensible choice.

"I want to say a massive thanks to all of the amazing people who have helped me in the USA, you really are incredible and it’s been a highlight to meet you all and of course to all those back home in the UK, whose positive messages meant the world to me.

"I also want to thank everyone who donated to Hope House & Tŷ Gobaith during my walk, this is what kept me going through the many tough times, so again, massive thanks to you all."

All in all, Paul raised over £7,500 for the Hope House charity as he walked 1,818 miles across America.

Hope House fundraiser Cat Dowdswell, who has been in regular contact with Paul throughout his challenge, said: “Everyone here is so very proud of Paul’s incredible, epic and brave achievements over the past three months.

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“The scale of this walk is absolutely phenomenal and it’s almost impossible to really understand the depth of physical and mental strength Paul has had to deliver to complete a staggering 1,818 miles.

“To walk solo with no support whatsoever across two-thirds of North America is quite something. We are beyond proud to have Paul as one of our supporters. Everyone has followed his journey with amazement and words don’t really convey how honoured we are that Paul chose to fly our flag so far away from home.

“Paul has raised more than £33,000 over recent years. These funds translate to much-needed respite and support for so many families supported at both our hospices. We cannot wait to see Paul back at Hope House and talk about his once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking across America.”