A WEST Belfast man, who walked 250 miles around Northern Ireland to highlight the positive work of local communities, was given a hero's welcome when he returned home yesterday.
Michael Conlon, from Lagmore, was chosen to represent Northern Ireland in the 'Big Walk' - an 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.
The 43 year-old started his walk on May 16, walking up to 15 miles a day, visiting community projects and incredible individuals improving local neighbourhoods.
He made 34 community stops and met over 80 community organisations during his journey.
"What I discovered was that people in communities are really making things happen for themselves and the middle ground is a lot more active and significant than you might imagine," Mr Conlon said.
"I took part in The Big Walk partly because I recently moved back from Dublin to Belfast and I wanted to reconnect with Northern Ireland.
"There is a sense of hopefulness in action across Northern Ireland and a sense of contentment that despite the obvious problems in our society, people power is working and real change is happening," he added.
Peter Stewart of the Eden Project, organisers of The Big Walk, added: "It's been an incredible journey for Michael and all our walkers. With over 100 projects visited this year, we are still only just scratching the surface of what goes on across the country".
If you would like to get involved as a future walker or to request a community visit you can contact Communities@edenproject.com
