Fundraiser, 72, sleeps rough on epic 850-mile British Isles walk
Mr Brooke, who has completed a number of epic walks for charity, said: "I've often gone on bivvy bag holidays, which I love, but I have the funds to escape if things get tough."[Homeless people] have no choice."Your brain is getting confused, even after a month, and you can't make sensible decisions about improving your life when you've been on the road, shuffling around in a city, unloved by people."They need our charity - whether it's money, affection or respect - especially respect."
On the final night of his trip, Mr Brooke said he feared he could die if he remained on Ben Nevis in the cold and rain."I wanted to get half way up [the mountain] before nightfall, bivvy up there, then crack on to the top as soon as it gets light," he said.But, after settling down to sleep, it began "tipping down with rain" and his bivvy bags quickly became flooded with water."It's an absolute disaster, I'm getting colder and colder," he recalled.
"I realised if I don't get out within a minute, it's probably curtains."I got out and packed everything up, but how do I put my shoes on with hands that were locked cold?"I finally got down and I knew there was an accessible toilet in the visitor centre and thought that's going to be my bivvy for tonight - in a toilet."After returning home by train on Thursday, he said: "It's lovely to see my wife again."
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