Arab News
LONDON: A British music teacher is walking the entire length of the London Underground route to raise money for victims of the Beirut explosion.
Harry Sargeant, 24, was horrified to see footage of the massive blast and decided to raise funds for the people of Beirut, the Evening Standard reported on Saturday.
The massive explosion at the Port of Beirut killed 181 people, wounded thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
A new two-week lockdown in Lebanon that started on Friday morning to stem a string of record daily infection rates is adding further strain to the country’s ravaged economy.
“It was really shocking to see all the people who were injured, those whose homes were destroyed and now have nowhere to live,” Sargeant told the Evening Standard. “After seeing what happened I knew I wanted to do something to help.”
Funds raised by his walk will be donated to the British Red Cross, which is working with the Lebanese Red Cross to respond to the crisis.
Sargeant, who lives in southwest London, has been taking a selfie at each underground station he passes on his walks to prove that he has completed the full route, the newspaper reported.
It took the music teacher five and a half hours to complete walking the routes of the Circle and Victoria lines in the unusually hot weather experienced by London this month.
The UK witnessed its longest stretch of temperatures exceeding 34C this month since records began in the 1960s.
“Heat is definitely a challenge and navigating the routes. I’ve had some really nice people help me when I got lost,” said Sargeant, who will livestream his final walk, which will be the Waterloo & City line.
“Everyone has been very kind and it’s been wonderful to see friends of friends share the fundraiser.”