Simon Kindleysides used a powered exoskeleton to complete a February 2021 walking challenge for Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity. The charity set a target of four miles a day, while published reports later gave different totals: Futurism reported 112 miles, and The National reported 125 miles based on Kindleysides’ account. The sources do not explain the discrepancy.
How did a paralyzed man walk more than 100 miles?
Kindleysides walked with a powered exoskeleton, a wearable device that supports movement. For the charity challenge, he also used hand-held poles to help maintain balance, according to Futurism. The event was a personal fundraising effort, not a consumer-product demonstration.
Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity announced the challenge on February 2, 2021: four miles a day during February, or about 8,000 steps daily. The charity said the exoskeleton’s batteries allowed about four miles of walking before recharging, and that each four-mile leg took roughly three and a half hours. Those figures describe Kindleysides’ challenge and should not be treated as general specifications for powered exoskeletons. Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity
Who is Simon Kindleysides?
Kindleysides is from Norfolk. ITV News reported that a brain tumour in 2013 left him paralysed from the waist down; the hospital charity also described a functional neurological disorder. These are descriptions attributed to the reporting, not a broader clinical assessment. ITV News
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He had previously completed the 2018 London Marathon using an exoskeleton. The Brain Tumour Charity identifies the suit used for that marathon as a ReWalk, while ITV reported that an anonymous benefactor later bought him a suit. Neither account confirms the model used in the 2021 challenge, so it should not be identified as a ReWalk on that basis. The Brain Tumour Charity · ITV News
Kindleysides told ITV: “The NHS saved my life loads of times so I want to be able to give something else.” Asked how much the robotic suit had changed his life, he answered: “More than words can say.” Professor Erika Denton of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital said: “I don’t think many of us can fully appreciate what it must be like to be have been able-bodied and now to be using the technology he has to be able to walk.” ITV News
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How far did he walk in the suit?
Reports disagree on the final mileage:
| Reported total | Source and qualification |
|---|---|
| 112 miles | Futurism’s reported completed total, published in 2021. Futurism |
| 125 miles | The National reported this as the distance Kindleysides said he had walked. The outlet also reported 81 hours and 32 minutes of total walking time. The National |
| 224,000 steps | The charity’s later outcome report gave this monthly step total, but did not state a final mileage figure. Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity |
The charity’s original target—four miles daily for February’s 28 days—adds up to 112 miles, but that does not resolve why The National reported 125 miles. The available reports do not explain the difference, so neither figure should be presented as an uncontested total.
What charity did the walk support?
The challenge raised money for Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity. In a June 2021 update, the charity reported that Kindleysides had raised £14,000 and completed 224,000 steps. It said the funds would support the hospital’s Critical Care Unit and a planned children’s operating theatre project. The charity also recognized him in its Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year category. Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity
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Louise Cook, the charity’s head of fundraising, said: “We are absolutely delighted for Simon winning this award in recognition of everything he has done to raise money for the charity.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What exoskeleton did Simon Kindleysides use in 2021?
The sources cited here do not name the exact model used for the February 2021 challenge. The ReWalk identification applies to his 2018 London Marathon suit, not necessarily the later device. The charity’s account offers a few details specific to the challenge—about four miles between recharges, roughly three and a half hours per four-mile leg, and hand-held poles for balance—but does not establish general device performance or a route for readers to buy the suit.
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