More than 1,100 miles, a quarter of a million golf shots, more than 920 lost golf balls and an estimated 30,000 people trained in CPR over 12 weeks - fundraiser David Sullivan has completed his challenge.

The former armed forces trainer set off from John O'Groats in June on a mammoth mission to walk across the UK - stopping in Dorchester - while hitting a golf ball and teaching people CPR along the way. He arrived at his destination of Land's End on August 22.

David set himself the task, which involved walking between 14 and 30 miles every day and camping overnight, to raise awareness of the importance of knowing CPR and to raise funds that would enable more towns and villages across the country to install defibrillators.

He visited Dorchester on August 10.

David's passion for teaching CPR came about in 2016 when, while playing golf, he was faced with a life or death situation. When a young man experienced a cardiac arrest in front of him, he luckily knew what to do. He gave CPR for 17 minutes until the man could be treated with a defibrillator.

"It was thanks to my training, and a defibrillator being nearby, that I was able to help save the man, who luckily made a full recovery," said David.

"When something like that happens right in front of you, it makes you realise how precious life is and how important it is to know what to do in that kind of emergency. It was an experience which profoundly affected me, and now it's my mission to create an army of life savers all over the country."

David had hoped to raise £60k, which would mean that 60 locations in Britain could be kitted out with a defibrillator, but at just over £9k, he is hoping that completing his challenge will encourage more people to donate.

He added: "I'm imploring individuals and businesses all over the country to support this endeavour.

"Until a cardiac arrest happens to you, or someone you know, it's impossible to truly understand how critical defibrillators are. Being treated with a defibrillator can literally mean the difference between life and death. We saw this recently when Danish footballer Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. It can happen to anyone at any age at any time.

"Being treated with a defibrillator increases someone's chance of survival by up to 70 per cent."

Donations can be made by visiting justgiving.com

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