A heart transplant survivor who says he feels lucky to be alive, is aiming to walk an 850-kilometre long pilgrimage route in a bid to raise funds for a wild public garden in Totnes.

Ernesto Antonio, 59, of Swallow Road, is planning to set forth on the Camino Del Norte route from Irun on the French border and out across the northern coast of Spain, next Friday April 21.

He reckons the walk will take him over a month, but Ernesto is no stranger to long hikes as he has already completed two of the network of ancient pilgrim routes that stretch across Europe and converge at the city of Santiago do Compostela.

“I just enjoy walking, the freedom of it, and the nature and beauty of it. It’s very cathartic. I do not for religious reasons, but spiritual, being at one with nature and mindfulness.

“I was very, very ill at one stage of my life – I had a heart transplant 24 years ago - and it’s just nice to be alive now and to be able to do these things when you’ve had a second chance at life.”

Ernesto, who ran an emergency operation theatre for the NHS in Essex for 35 years, plans to either stay at designated auberges (hostels) en route or camp out under the stars.

He hopes his walk will help raise some money towards the creation of a wildlife garden in the much loved Leechwell gardens, the ‘magical’ community garden hidden in the heart of Totnes.

He said: “One of the things that drew me to Totnes was the sense of community spirit and the garden plays a big part in that.

“Grove School uses it quite a lot for their children, it would be great to create a wildlife garden there so they could learn more about various aspects of nature, such as bees and pollination.”

To sponsor Ernesto visit his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ernesto-antonio-1?utm_term=3dBDqGNM6

or make a donation via the Leechwell Gardens website at www.leechwellgarden.org.uk