On the 31st of May 2026 I will be walking just under 18 miles from Bournemouth pier to wood henge (Worth Matravers) in memory of my incredible friend Alistair Moss and to raise money for Dorset mind and re.DEFINED.

A bit about Alistair

Alistair passed away on the 1st of June 2025 at the age of 22, leaving a massive hole in all of our lives.

Alistair was an amazing dancer, who trained at the ranger school of dance since the age of 3, he attended ballet and Jazz classes and developed into a beautiful dancer. Alistair performed in several shows over the years with the Ranger School of Dance and his final show with them was in 2024 which was Showtime.

Alistair was also training to be a mechanic with volvo, he spent the last few years with them as an apprentice and worked incredibly hard. Alistair had 2 cars of his own Fred the Fiesta and Sapphire the TT who he took great pride in and also competed in car trials regularly with his dad.

Alistair was an incredibly hard working young man who would take every carnival week off from Volvo and the weekends throughout the summer to work on Swanage beach as a deckchair attendant, he was extremely dedicated to this and would have a great tan by the end of summer!

But most importantly Alistair was a much loved son, brother, uncle, nephew and friend. Alistair bought so much love and joy into everyone’s lives, he would never fail to make me laugh. I am so lucky to have had Ali as one of my closest friends, he was the most loyal, caring, friend that anyone could ask for. I am so grateful to have shared so many wonderful memories with him, including going to Majorca with Ali in April 2025 for his first Holiday abroad!

Although Alistair was not a fan of walks and would complain whenever we dragged him on one, I want to do this walk in memory of him and to raise money for mental health charities that support men across Dorset.

So many men suffer in silence and feel so alone with their thoughts and feelings, but charities/organisations such as Dorset mind and re.DEFINED are fighting to change that.

A bit about the charities…

Dorset Mind is a local charity that provides mental health support, education, and advocacy in Dorset, working to reduce stigma and help people recover from mental health challenges through services like counseling, support groups, befriending, and training for schools/workplaces. They empower individuals to build resilience and offer both group and one-to-one support to help people achieve positive mental well-being and stability. 

Find out more on their social media or website at: https://dorsetmind.uk/

re.DEFINED is a free well being community that offers men a platform to prioritise their wellbeing through exercise, communication and connections. It provides a unique opportunity to begin each day with intention and collectively gain clarity for personal growth and self improvement. Find out more at https://www.redefineduk.org/

The walk

The route that I have chosen is very sentimental and will cover some of the walks that we often did with Ali and pass places that meant a lot to him. I will be starting at Bournemouth pier and walking along the beach to sandbanks ferry where I will then be crossing over to continue my walk along studland beach and over Old Harry Rocks. From here I will then be coming down to sheps hollow and walking along Swanage beach, a place that holds so many memories of Alistair. Towards the end of my walk along Swanage beach I will pass where Alistair used to work as a deckchair attendant on the beach. Next I will pass the mowlem theatre, which is where Alistair performed with the Ranger School of Dance and the Cellar bar where we would often meet for a drink and a catch up. From here I will then be walking through town towards the downs where I will begin my walk up to Durlston. From Durlston I will then walk along the coastline to join Priests way, which is another walk we used to drag Alistair on with the promise of food at the end. I will then stay on priests way until I get to worth Matravers, here I will finish my walk at Wood Henge in time for sunset as this was Alistair’s favourite place to watch the sunset.

I will be joined by some of Alistair’s friends and family for periods of my walk and I welcome anyone that wants to join me at Wood Henge to watch the sunset and raise a drink to Ali.

Any donation amount would be greatly appreciated and I hope that with more funding more men in Dorset will be able to access support for their mental health. And finally, in Alistair’s memory I hope that more men feel able to speak up and talk about their mental health, because no life should be lost to suicide.

Thankyou for reading

Harry x