630 mile mission to buy shoes and limbs for leprosy sufferers

A CHARITY walker and her four-legged friend passed through Sidmouth while on a 630 mile mission to help leprosy sufferers.

Natalie Husk, pictured, and her dog Toby arrived in town on Tuesday and departed for Seaton on Wednesday on their trek along the entire South West Coastal Footpath.

The plucky pair embarked on the walk, to raise �10,000 for The Leprosy Mission, on May 1.

Natalie and four-year-old Dalmation Toby, from Tiverton, hope to complete their challenge on Thursday, June 30. They’ll have been walking for 53 days at an average of 12 miles a day.

Natalie hopes cash raised will help buy specially adapted shoes and prostheses for people affected by leprosy in India after she saw harrowing scenes when she visited the country.

Trainee preacher Natalie, who attends Wonford Methodist Church in Exeter, said: “Leprosy is surrounded by so much stigma and prejudice that people affected are isolated and treated as outcasts by their families and communities.

“It was great to see The Leprosy Mission providing not only medical treatment but also care and warmth for the people who thought they would be outcasts for the rest of their lives.”

To sponsor the duo visit http://www.justgiving.com/natalie-husk.