Published by Neil Thompson, 14th October 2025
Hospitality professional Maya Gilbert has completed her epic 2,700-mile fundraising journey that saw her walk the entire length of the England coast path in 120 days. Returning to the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool on Saturday afternoon, she has successfully raised just under £15,000 (inclusive of Gift Aid) for Hospitality Action.
Maya’s journey began in her hometown of Liverpool. Travelling anti-clockwise along the coast, she walked an average of 22.5 miles a day, rain, shine or Storm Amy, past beaches, harbours, seaside towns and hidden coves.
Commenting on the mammoth challenge, the former chef, manager and business owner said: “The last four months have been some of the most challenging and rewarding of my life. I’m over the moon to have completed this journey and to have raised funds for Hospitality Action, a charity that does so much to support people across our industry when they need it most.
“I want to say a huge thank you to Caterite and Barlounge Chester for helping me to fund the equipment that made this challenge possible, and to The Inn Collection Group for their incredible donation of £2,700 — one pound for every mile I walked, along with every single person who sponsored me. The rest of the project was completely self-funded, and I set myself a strict budget of just £10 per day for food and accommodation. As you can imagine, that didn’t stretch far, especially when trying to eat more than 3,000 calories a day just to keep my energy up.
“The kindness shown by people in hospitality and beyond has been overwhelming, from meals and hotel rooms to sofas, spare beds and generous donations through my ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ page. They kept me warm, fed and dry right around the coast and I’ll never be able to thank them enough.
“For now, I plan to spend the week resting and recovering with my nearest and dearest, before sharing more detailed thanks with everyone who made this adventure possible. This journey has reminded me how powerful kindness and community can be and I’ll carry that with me for a long time.”
Maya decided to walk the coast path of England to reconnect with her home country after losing sight of why she loved it, not for the things that divide us all, she says, but for the countryside, coastline and for human kindness. At the start of the journey, she said: “In doing so alone I hoped to rediscover some of my own passions and independence after a really difficult period of mental health in my 20s.
"Hospitality is woven into every aspect of my being and Hospitality Action not only supported me during my most difficult time but continues to be a much-needed life line for everybody in the industry.”
Maya Gilbert
Maya was 25 when the pandemic hit. Having just opened her own catering business, she found herself ineligible for furlough and government support. She was also struggling with anxiety before Hospitality Action came into her life. The charity's COVID-19 grants helped keep her afloat amidst the uncertainty.
These grants were part of an emergency response, which saw just under £1m awarded to more than 3,700 hospitality households via the charity.
While Maya has already raised nearly £15,000, she is hoping to reach her target of £25,000 in the coming weeks.
To support her £25,000 fundraising goal for Hospitality Action, visit: http://www.justgiving.com/page/mayagilbertwalks.
See Maya’s Journey:
Instagram: @mayana.gilbana
TikTok: @mayanagilbana
Substack: @mayagilbert
