Keith Dungate completes mile challenge as Alan Shearer visits to thank him

Keith Dungate has completed a mile-long walking challenge after being told he would never walk again after a spinal injury. The injury came from a diving accident in a swimming pool, and the challenge took him 39 days.

He normally manages about 20 to 40 steps a day. At the start he thought 100 steps a day might finish the mile in 27 to 30 days, but a rough spell when he was not feeling well stretched it to 39 days. He said walking is "stupidly hard" when you cannot do it, and that the challenge forced him to get up and keep going each day.

Dungate set up a JustGiving page and posted about the effort on Instagram to raise extra money. Alan Shearer reposted the story and then visited Dungate in his kitchen. Dungate said it was "very bizarre" to have Shearer walk into his kitchen.

Shearer, the former footballer, visited to thank him and said he was delighted Dungate had taken part in the Alan Shearer Foundation's Move a Mile campaign. Shearer said he was in awe of Dungate and admired someone who had been through so much but kept fighting and scrapping. Dungate said the challenge had been good for him because he needs to walk and do things every day. After reaching the mile, he joked that he was still a mile from home and needed to walk back, so he is trying to carry on doing as many steps as he can. The family are Newcastle fans, and the day was a memorable achievement for them.