A Man’s Long Journey To Honour His Father’s Memory

El Camino de Santiago is a unique experience. Pilgrims from everywhere in the world walk miles and miles to reach the city of Santiago de Compostela. Some do it for religious reasons, others for the fun of it, and in the case of Liam Staples, he is doing it for his father.

Back in 2014, Liam and his father packed their bags and began their journey to Santiago by taking part in the French Camino, a walk of about 750 kilometres (466 miles). Unfortunately, Liam’s father got ill after three days and the two of them had to fly back home, postponing the pilgrimage to a later date.

Liam’s father during their pilgrimage in 2014

But two years later, before the pair could return to the French Camino and start their adventure again, Liam’s father shared some unsettling news with the family: he had cancer, and it was terminal.

For Liam, his world “came crashing down.” He did everything he could for his father, but there was nothing to be done other than keeping him as comfortable as possible.

Liam’s father passed away in December 2016, shortly before Christmas, and that is when he decided to carry out the two things his father had wanted to do.

The road to Santiago de Compostela

The first one was to do the French Camino, that adventure they had failed to do two years earlier and that now Liam could complete with a deeper meaning: honouring his father’s memory.

The second thing Liam’s father wanted to carry out was raising money for St Nicholas Hospice Care, located in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. So Liam only saw a way to solve this: using his pilgrimage as a way to raise the money.

So every person who decides to donate to his cause will be giving that money to St Nicholas, a charity who helps and advises people who are in the final chapters of their life.

Liam’s adventure will begin on June 1^st, 2017. He will do it by himself this time, but in some way, his father will be there with him, all the way to Santiago de Compostela.

You can join Liam’s Facebook group, One Emotional Journey, or follow him on Twitter. Donations to raise money for the hospice can be made on his JustGiving page.

A Man’s Long Journey To Honour His Father’s Memory