Dunfermline: 3,000 mile walk for Boards for Bairns

Nathan Graham, 23, will start his walk next week, travelling 3,000 miles from Los Angeles to New York.

"It started off with the idea to do the walk anyway," he explained.

"My friend runs Boards for Bairns and was talking about it and I just thought it was incredible, the benefit of the charity and what they are doing it for.

"I am flying out on April 1st to San Francisco then starting the walk on roughly the 6th or 7th. I am doing LA to Vegas, Vegas to Denver, Denver to Kansas City, and then to New York. It will end up being around 3,000 miles.

"I will be wild-camping along the way off the side of roads and walking between 15 and 30 miles a day.

"I will have a cart that I need to purchase when I arrive to carry water over extended periods between towns in the desert, two T-shirts, two shirts, three boxers, three pairs of socks, and Teva sandals."

After going through a difficult period, Nathan was determined to give back and help others enjoy skating as he does.

"My grandfather and another family member passed away last year and there was a lot of things I wished that I had done while he was alive so he could see it," he explained.

"I realised then I can’t wait around and need to act on things. I was also in a bit of a rut for a few years and was drinking a lot without real hobbies. I have now gone back to what made me happy before: exercise, music, and skateboarding.

"I see the benefits skateboarding has on me and want to share that with others."

Nathan said that before finalising the trip, he had wanted to do the walk under the radar but realised how beneficial it could be to the Dunfermline charity.

Boards for Bairns aim to gift skateboards to children in Dunfermline to help them both pursue their interest in skating, and give them an outlet.

"A lot of kids I saw when I was younger at the skatepark that were more troublesome are now skateboarding.

"When we asked them why, they said they always wanted to take part when they were younger but didn’t have the means to purchase their own boards.

"Also, parents wouldn’t encourage them as they did not see the benefits so I want to make people aware of the benefits of activity and especially skateboarding.

"Skateboarding is a sport where I fit in and it is that for a lot of kids."

In addition to the Boards for Bairns project, founder Rory Fell is also "spearheading" the mission for a new skatepark in Dunfermline.

"Dunfermline's skatepark was one of the first in Fife," Nathan told the Press. "I remember that from when we went as kids, lots of other towns have their own now but the park in Dunfermline was built by the council, not by skaters, which is the thing now.

"It has actually been put down as a safety hazard and needs to be re-done."

The project already has backing from Fife Council, the Carnegie Trust, and Dunfermline Regeneration Trust, who have supported both the skatepark project and Boards for Bairns.

Nathan has raised £600 so far for the skateboarding charity, with Skateboard Scotland sharing his story recently.

Because of visa restrictions, Nathan will need to fly back to London part way through his trip.

"It is frustrating but it is what it is," he said.

"It works out quite well because I am going to be doing a couple of podcasts during that time. One will be Board to Death in Glasgow.

"It is new to me – I'm not really the one to go out and talk about these things."

You can follow Nathan's journey on his Instagram page @_nathan_graham_ or through Boards for Bairns.

You can donate to his cause at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nathangrahamboardsforbairns?utm_term=vX2MPkZpV