A SEVEN mile walk may seem gruelling enough to most people — but imagine doing it barefoot.

That is exactly what a group of fundraisers are planning to do to raise money to set up a project to help desperate and vulnerable women.

Darren Armstrong, the founder of the Be Strong charity, a Bolton-based rehabilitation organisation, to help men who are homeless or who are addicted to drugs to transform their lives, is now establishing a similar project for women.

And on July 22, Mr Armstrong will walk from Bury Parish Church to Bolton Parish Church with a group of 20 supporters to raise money for the new project. And he hopes by doing the sponsored walk barefoot, they will raise money to help get the new project off the ground.

He said: "Doing the walk this way is a bit different and we hope people will donate because it is a bit wacky.

"We have done this walk before in 2014 and 2015 and it takes around two hours, and our feet are not in the best shape at the end but it is worth it. People stop to ask what we are doing and we take our collection buckets."

Mr Armstrong said that through working with The Message Trust — a Christian charity — in Styal Prison, he believes there is a demand for a Be Strong Women Project.

He said: "The women's project will operate similarly to the men's project and we will be setting up a washing and ironing laundry service as a focus for them, as we already repair and refurbish washing machines and dryers.They will be involved in the business planning and we also have an entrepreneurial programme.

"The project is going to provide housing, employability skills, tenancy sustainability skills, free gym memberships and other positive life skills to some of the most vulnerable females in society."

Mr Armstrong added: "Men come to us homeless, heavily addicted to heroin, crack cocaine and other heavily addictive drugs.

"We have had men come to us who have tried to commit suicide and they are now an integral part of our project.

"They are trained up to become washing machine and dryer engineers, and they have become fitter and healthier due to the free gym memberships given to them on day one, which they attend the gym every day. They no longer take drugs, they are no longer taking prescribed medication and they are no longer committing crime.

"Therefore saving the UK tax payer thousands of pounds and at the same time adding value to their local community in Bolton.

"We have conducted our own research and we have contacted Bolton Probation who have fully endorsed our proposals for a women's Be Strong Project and we contacted The Message Trust in Styal Prison, which has provided us with feedback from the female prisoners and we have created a programme which will provide life changing activities for some of the most vulnerable females in society."

Be Strong was set up just over six years ago by Mr Armstrong after he found there was a lack of services available to help him turn his life around when he was an 'active homeless offender in Bolton.

He said: " I was left homeless at the age of 14 nearly 15 years old and from there I went on to cause misery and a trail of destruction. I am now 41 years old, married and trying to make this awesome town a better place to live."

Around £4,000 is needed to set up the project and to donate visit http://www.be-strong.org.uk/