AN Upton man stripped down to his shorts and boots in freezing conditions for a sponsored walk round the town.

Clint Varndall raised more than £500 for Children in Need by completing a ten-mile-long lap of the town last Friday evening (November 18).

Mr Varndall wanted to raise money for children who have lost or have never had a mother or father.

His own mother suffered from mental health problems and died when he was six months old.

"Something like that doesn't really sink in until the age of 13 or 14 when you're at your most vulnerable, and then you carry it into adult life," he said.

"The idea was to do something to help children who are in a similar situation to the one I faced."

Mr Varndall said the walk had been a unique experience and a great success.

"The cold was just about bearable while I was going but once I'd stopped I just couldn't stop shivering," he said.

"I want to thank everyone who put so much effort in, and the townsfolk who were brilliant with their support."

Three 'bucketeers' accompanied Mr Varndall on the two-and-a-half-hour trek, collecting more than £300 in donations in the process.

Despite the difficult conditions, Mr Varndall is still planning future fundraising events.

"To be honest it felt like hell on earth and on the night I thought 'never again'," he said.

"But I'm slowly recovering and I'll definitely do something again next year, although probably with more clothes on."