CARE home residents in Salisbury are taking inspiration from the Bard himself as they lace up their shoes for a fundraising challenge supporting homelessness charity ALABARÉ.

An enthusiastic group of walkers and wheelchair users at Colten Care’s Braemar Lodge in Stratford Road are aiming to complete enough laps of their garden to cover the 169.6-mile round trip from their home to the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and back.

That’s 84.8 miles each way – a distance being clocked up gradually through daily strolls, gentle wheel rolls and plenty of encouragement from family members and staff.

The initiative is expected to run for around a month.

The project was officially launched with a special visit from ALABARÉ trustee and Salisbury MP John Glen, alongside board chairman Sir Andrew Gregory KBE CB DL, who joined residents in completing the first laps.

Sir Andrew highlighted the impact of the charity’s work, explaining that funds raised will go directly towards supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including military veterans.

Resident Sheila Nell said: “It was great to be at the launch and we are all enjoying the opportunity to go out into the garden and help raise money for such a worthwhile cause.”

The initiative also ties in closely with Braemar Lodge’s ‘veteran-friendly’ status, achieved through the national Veteran Friendly Framework, which supports members of the armed forces community.

Graham Ballard, companionship team leader, said: “We’ve timed our walk to be in line with May’s National Walking Month and began setting out the routes around the garden on Shakespeare’s birthday in April.

“With Hamnet doing the rounds in the cinema, the Bard remains ever popular.

“If we complete the distance to and from Stratford-upon-Avon ahead of schedule, we’ll do an ‘Act II’ and keep going. We don’t know yet if that is ‘to be or not to be’ but we’ve certainly made a great start.”

It’s the latest in a series of ambitious walking challenges at Braemar Lodge, following a 500-mile effort last year that raised nearly £3,500 for Salisbury Hospice Charity.