Meet the man who visited every single one of Manchester's 99 tram stops in the space of just one day. In what was a challenging 18 hours last Thursday (June 30), Stuart Boyd decided he wanted to travel to every one of the regions' Metrolink stops to raise money for a cause extremely close to his heart.
Stuart, from Ulverston, previously set himself the mammoth feat of visiting every train station in the whole of the UK, a feat he has now proudly completed. Midway through his rail travels, he met a man who tragically walked out in front of a train, taking his own life.
It was an incident that left Stuart desperate to do something to help - and he decided to complete his latest tram challenge to raise money for the Samaritans charity, which aims to offer emotional support to anyone at risk of suicide.
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With the support of Transport for Greater Manchester and Northern, who funded his day-passes and travel to Manchester, Stuart was able to visit every one of the regions tram stops - all in just under 18 hours.
Speaking to the M.E.N, he said: "My whole channel came around wanting to visit every station in Great Britain. I have always loved travelling and sightseeing, and it seemed a great way of getting around and seeing different pockets of the country.
"I completed that at the end of May this year, and during my challenge I came across a lot of incidents where people tried to take their lives on the railway. One was particularly close to my heart, as a man I had been speaking with stepped out in front of a moving train.
"From that moment on, I knew I wanted to do something that helped Samaritans and helped people who were struggling.
"It seemed a difficult challenge and a bit of a stretch to do all of the Manchester Metrolink map in one day - but I wondered if it was possible. Some googling suggested it would take around 18 or 19 hours, which not many people would be willing to put themselves through."
TfGM supported Stuart in his bid, alongside pal Jen, and gifted him a day pass so he could travel seamlessly between the stations. Beginning at 5.12am from Shudehill station, he travelled all corners of the region, before finishing up at Deansgate - Castlefield at 11pm that night.
He documented his trip throughout the day with updates to his Twitter profile, shared by TfGM, and snapped photos as he reached each of the stops. A week later, his efforts have now almost raised £2,000 for the cause.
"I found the Metrolink system easy to understand - it took a little longer than expected because of problems on the line and signal faults here and there meaning they were delayed," he added.
"I am so grateful to TfGM for helping me with this. I am amazed at how much money I have raised so far and all the support, it has been phenomenal."
Stuart has provided updates of his unique travels across the UK on his website 'Every Last Station'. Donations can be made to his GoFundMe page here.
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