Vernon Kay completes first leg of Children in Need trek

A famous person from Bolton was greeted with enthusiastic spectators as he finished a challenging journey to raise money for a charitable cause, Children in Need.

Vernon Kay, a radio host and TV presenter, received a warm welcome from his fans as he embarked on his journey from Victoria Park in Leicester to Bolton Wanderers stadium situated in Horwich. The journey spans 115 miles.

The ex-student of St Joseph's RC High School journeyed across various towns and villages such as Kings Newton, Shelton Lock, and Chellaston.

He has just arrived in Derbyshire this afternoon and plans to stay for the night. He is getting ready for a long day tomorrow as he needs to cover over 40 miles.

Earlier tonight, the celebrity caught up with Sara Cox from BBC Radio 2. During their conversation, Sara disclosed that the star had contributed to raising £193,400 thus far.

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Vernon exclaimed, "Go inside! I can't believe it, I'm without words, completely without words. I appreciate it, thank you, thank you, thank you - on the first day of the marathon. That's astounding, amazing. It's made me smile."

After finishing the initial portion of the challenge, Vernon spoke with Sara and shared his thoughts and emotions about his progress. The DJ was attentive as he listened to Vernon's perspective.

He mentioned that he was feeling quite uncomfortable, to put it briefly, and to put it more specifically, he was experiencing a lot of discomfort. He presumed that it was caused by his knees and the tors in the last five miles, but today his left hip has been the main issue.

I predicted that it would happen, and now it has. Furthermore, it has participated in every schoolyard game imaginable, without exception.

Today has been challenging, but we're going to use massage therapy to alleviate the tension. Everyone on the team appears to have had a productive day.

I believe I am the only one feeling a bit low, but it's reasonable given that I have never covered a distance beyond 18 miles. It was exhilarating to cross the 19-mile mark, and we cheered joyfully when we completed a full marathon. Consequently, our spirits were lifted when we finally finished the race.

Sara inquired about Vernon's emotions upon achieving his daily goal, and the BBC Radio 2 mid-morning presenter expressed that he had become "quite emotional."

He expressed, "I felt overjoyed yet overwhelmed by my emotions because I have resolved to hold back my tears until Friday morning. We still have over 40 miles to travel tomorrow, and it will be an arduous journey."

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Today we exercised vigorously with a mix of running, jogging, and power walking to loosen up our quad muscles and hamstrings. However, tomorrow we have a different strategy in mind - alternating between walking and jogging. We have a considerable distance to cover, and I don't think I can keep up with jogging 40 miles straight. Tomorrow's route is going to be challenging as we will encounter steep hikes.

He said: "Many individuals have been coming to be with us, and that has been the most positive thing today. People ask if they can accompany us, whether it be covering 2 miles, 200 yards, or 20 miles... and it truly boosts our morale."

Vernon will be taking an ice bath, getting a massage, having some food and then heading to bed early to rest up before continuing on his journey. He will be making his way to the Bolton Wanderers stadium by Friday.

Tune in to his latest broadcasts on Radio 2 throughout the week. You can catch them live or listen after they have aired using BBC Sounds. Plus, with the ability to pause and rewind, it's easy to transcribe and take notes.

Check out the path by going to this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CznlhQQsUJr/

To see all the behind-the-scenes photos and videos, go to @BBCRadio2 on Instagram and TikTok.

Stay updated on his journey by checking out the live coverage on the BBC webpage at - https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e8pgfx/live/c369mb.

If you want to contribute to the cause, please visit bbc.co.uk/vernon to make a donation.