A BELAST man has been chosen to represent Northern Ireland in a UK-wide project which aims to "shine a light on the great people at the heart of our communities".
Michael Conlon was chosen to be part of The Big Walk because of his "passion to develop better connected communities around Northern Ireland."
The annual event sees four teams of walkers embark on a journey to the four corners of the UK, visiting different projects and community groups along the way that are making a real difference to local lives.
Mr Conlon will set off on his travels to various locations from Morecambe on Wednesday live on BBC One's The One Show.
At the end of the journey, the 43-year-old will then travel 250 miles back to Belfast, where he will help spread the word about the strength and passion of communities and raise awareness of the walk's finale, The Big Lunch, an annual get-together for neighbours on Sunday, June 3.
When back in Northern Ireland, Mr Conlon will visit a range of projects and will also sample various community activities, from wall-papering and electrics to horticultural therapy and ceili dancing.
Speaking about the project, Mr Conlon said: "Having recently moved back home from Dublin, I'm delighted to be given this opportunity to reconnect with the wider community in Northern Ireland and to discover what people are doing to make a difference in their communities right now and for generations to come."
Further details about The Big Lunch are available at www.thebiglunch.com
