LONDON - A British man married to a Filipina has set himself the challenge of walking 10 miles of urban roads to raise funds for typhoon victims in the Philippines.

Malcolm Conlan, a professional first aid trainer, walked from his house in Bromley in suburban Kent to the Philippine Embassy near Trafalgar Square in central London.

It took the self-confessed “unfit” walker four hours to complete the route under gusty conditions, passing through areas like Lewisham, New Cross and Waterloo, while regularly updating his progress on social media platforms. He finished ahead of his target of five to six hours despite developing a limp half-way through.

“I seldom walk other than to the bus or train station or at work. I don’t really know how to prepare other than buying some energy bars and tubig (water),” he told ABS-CBN Europe.

The 40-year-old is hoping his efforts will raise funds for victims of typhoon Pedring (Nesat), which hit the Philippines on September 27, followed by typhoon Quiel (Nalgae) on October 1, both of which caused destruction in many parts of the country, particularly in northern Luzon.

The combined death toll from both typhoons has so far reached 101, with 27 people still missing and thousands displaced from their homes.

Recent reports also showed several places remain flooded or isolated, including areas in Pampanga and Ifugao.

“Having watched the coverage on The Filipino Channel and seeing posts on Facebook and Twitter, I felt I wanted to help in some way,” he said.

“I am not in a position to make a big financial donation as much as I would like to, but I decided I could make a contribution by giving my time and efforts to help our kababayan in need.”

The National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated that Pedring caused damages to infrastructure and agriculture worth P12 billion ($275 million), compared to approximately P11 billion from tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009.

“I just wanted to do something to highlight the message that we can all do something to help,” he explained.

“Even if we cannot give much financially, we can use our ideas and motivation to help plan something useful that may help our fellow countrymen in times of need.”

The Philippine Embassy in London welcomed Conlan as he reached the end point of his charity walk, offering their encouragement, gratitude and personal donations to the cause.

Enrique Manalo, the newly appointed Philippine ambassador to the UK, also made his first public appearance to congratulate Conlan.

Speaking to ABS-CBN Europe, he said: “We appreciate the dedication and effort of Mr. Conlan to help and promote solidarity for recent typhoon victims in the Philippines. We believe that this kind of effort is something to be admired and emulated, and we hope that we could be of help to similar efforts in the future.”

Conlan is the founder of fil-event.com, a website dedicated to Filipino events from around the world. An active member of the Filipino community in the UK, he is also involved with charity group Philippine Generations, as well as the largest Philippine festival in Europe, Barrio Fiesta sa London. He lives with his wife and their two children.

Proceeds raised from Conlan’s walking challenge will go towards Philippine Generations who will donate the funds to aid projects for typhoon victims in the Philippines.

For more information, visit http://www.philippinegenerations.org.