FORMER England Test cricketer and Somerset director of cricket Matt Maynard is nearing the end of his mammoth walk from John O'Groats to Lands End.

Maynard tackled the 1,189-mile challenge to raise funds for the Professional Cricketers' Trust and Help for Heroes.

He set off in October last year and after an early injury setback, has continued on and is set to finish in four days time.

It is his second Wellyman walk, following his Cardiff to Colwyn Bay trek for the Tom Maynard Trust, set up following his son's tragic death in 2012.

Matt, who was employed by Somerset from 2014-2017, explained why he is doing the walk for the two charities.

He said: "The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is a charity that is very close to my heart.

"Following Tom’s death in 2012, my family and I had counselling provided by the trust.

"Talking to someone about the situation was very beneficial. I still have dark days but knowing the trust is there if I need it is a great comfort.

“From when I first became aware of the Help for Heroes charity, it was difficult to comprehend the amount of money they needed to raise each year – it’s a phenomenal amount. I thought if I could potentially play any small part in that, I'd like to."

If you would like to help Matt reach his target of £20,000, you can donate on his JustGiving page - https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/MattWellymanWalk

The fact that he has done this mammoth walk in Wellington boots also calls for extra applause.

After researching whether or not it has been done before, Matt and his team believe not, and once he completes the walk he will be the first person ever to do so.

He said: "We have looked into it and cant find any record of anyone else doing this walk in a pair of wellies, I guess that might say more about me!

"But so far I haven't suffered from any blisters, I have some toe nails that are coming away, but otherwise my feet are in good condition.

"My tip is get some good compression socks and a top quality pair of wellies, that has helped me out."

The goal of this walk was to raise over £20,000 for the two charities and currently the effort has raised around £14,000.

Matt said: "Hopefully in the final few days of the walk we can raise the remaining £6k to hit the target.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this walk so far, and keep the donations coming, the money is going to two very worthwhile causes."