AN ARMY major based in Tidworth has passed through Basingstoke this week as part of his 700-mile barefoot walk across the country.

Major Chris Brannigan is part-way through his massive mission from Land’s End in Cornwall to Edinburgh, after trekking through Basingstoke over the weekend, in a bid to fund research into his daughter’s rare genetic disease.

His eight-year-old daughter Hasti was diagnosed with the disorder Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) in 2018, which currently has no cure or treatment.

The 40-year-old is hoping to raise funds to create a gene therapy treatment to save her life.

Her symptoms include feeding problems, speech and language difficulties, and texture aversion.

It has left Hasti with a growth hormone deficiency, so she is much shorter than her peers.

She was unable to take her first steps until she was two and said her first word aged three.

Speaking about his task of fundraising for his daughter, Chris said: “It’s all I want to achieve with my life to be honest.

“I think any parent would say when you have got a little boy or girl and they are not well all you want for them is to be healthy and happy and to be able to achieve even their most modest dream.

“That just won’t happen for Hasti unless we can create a gene therapy.

“There are four dozen times a day where I sit down and think I can’t even take another step, never mind go another mile, then I think about Hasti and what she’s missing out on, and stand up and march on.”

His journey started on July 6 in Cornwall, as he carried 25kgs of kit on his back with everything he needed to keep going, including his trusty one-man tent.

He said: “It is at the same time the best thing and worst thing I’ve ever done in my life.

“It is physically and emotionally draining.”

But 14 days into his epic walk, he left Basingstoke A&E on Saturday, (July 19) to get a quick check-up on his tired feet after completing 14 days of walking.

He explained: “My feet were really swollen overnight, and I just had some blisters, to be safe and to make sure everything was alright, I just popped into Basingstoke A&E. They were amazing, they had a look at it, and said everything was okay. They gave me some new bandages and sent me on my way.”

Chris has marched towards Downing Street, passing through Byfleet, Cobham and Esher on Tuesday (July 21) as he urged the Government to deliver a comprehensive, modern and measurable rare disease framework before the end of 2020.

Chris’s target was to raise £200,000 on his JustGiving page.

He hopes to complete his barefoot march across Britain in Edinburgh on August 10.