A former London Underground train driver is walking the length of the South West Coast Path to raise money for a local pet charity.

Nicola Cole, who lives in Okehampton, set off on a 630-mile trek around the South West coast on Monday (June 1) to raise funds for the Cinnamon Trust, a charity that offers pet care support to elderly and terminally ill people so they can stay together for as long as possible.

She aims to walk the full route in 26 to 28 days, covering 24 to 25 miles a day, and hopes to raise at least £500 for the charity, which she decided to support after seeing how distressing it can be to leave or rehome a pet for elderly or terminally ill people, through her work as a support worker for older and vulnerable people.

She said: "One of my clients wouldn't go into respite care because she didn't want to leave her dog. It's not unusual. There are quite a few people in that situation.”

A dog-owner herself, Nicola has been a keen walker for a long time. As a Tube driver, she and some colleagues would walk Tube lines overground to keep fit, but she decided to undertake longer walks when she moved to Devon.

"We'd walk the tube lines overground, in our spare time, just to keep fit. We got through most of them,” she said. “When I moved back to Devon – I went to school in Teignmouth – I decided I wanted to do longer walks again, so the idea to walk the South West Coast Path came up and I thought ‘well I’m 54 now, I best do it while I still can.’ When I told some friends about it, they asked if I was raising money for charity and I thought ‘why not?’”

Nicola may have missed last week’s heatwave but will now have to battle through this week’s wet weather with nothing but a waterproof and tent for shelter. However, she is not discouraged.

“There is nothing certain,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to put up the tent under some shelter, but if it’s too bad, I’ll have to find a place to stay.”

She also plans to spend some nights at friends and has a three-day hotel stay booked for a non-negotiable rest.

The Cinnamon Trust provides practical support to elderly or terminally ill pet owners who are struggling to care for their animals and offers lifelong care for pets at its sanctuaries and foster homes if owners move into permanent care or pass away.