A grandmother says she “almost died” during a gruelling 730-mile, four-month long charity coastal walk, becoming trapped in a ditch in filthy water up to her neck for around an hour.
Janet Baldock tackled the entire Wales Coastal Path between April and August, missing out Anglesey but completing her 730th and final mile on her 68th birthday.
The grandmother-of-four’s trek was in aid of the national Support Dogs charity and her epic efforts didn’t go unnoticed as she was named Fundraiser of the Year during the charity’s annual Graduation and Awards ceremony, held in Sheffield earlier this week.
As well as celebrating the record-breaking 23 life-changing assistance dog partnerships achieved on the charity’s autism, epilepsy and disability programmes in 2025, the selfless volunteers who help make the charity’s work possible were also recognised.
During the glittering event, Wales-born Janet, of Shalbourne, Wiltshire, got to see first-hand the life-changing assistance dogs and the humans they help.
Afterwards, the retired psychotherapist said: “It was a complete and utter surprise to be awarded.”
Recalling her gruelling trek, Janet added: “I nearly died on the walk. I was fine around Pembrokeshire but when I got to Carmarthenshire, it was all bogs, estuaries and marsh.
“I got stuck on an estuary and I was jumping over the ditches.
“I was trying to get off the marsh when one particular ditch was a little too big for my stride. I saw a little bit of wood in the water I thought I could stand on. I stood on the wood and I went ‘woosh’ down up to my neck in filthy stinking water and nearly drowned because I couldn’t get out.
“I couldn’t reach the bottom, it was really deep. I was trying to get out but barbed wire was pulling me down.”
A panicked Janet was stranded for around an hour and considered contacting a rescue helicopter for help, but with sheer determination – and while getting cut by underwater barbed wire in the process – managed to eventually haul herself out.
She limped for two miles to a farmhouse, where she was able to contact her husband.
But Janet was determined to finish her epic feat, saying: “I thought ‘I’m going to get to the end, even if I have to crawl on my hands and knees’.
“It wasn’t my time yet.”
Janet raised £1,760 in sponsorship for her amazing efforts.
She had been inspired to help the Yorkshire-based charity after hearing about its autism assistance dogs on ITV’s This Morning.
Accepting her award, Janet told the audience: “What’s been amazing to me today is hearing everybody’s stories about how their lives have been transformed by having these amazing dogs in their lives.
“That’s what touched my heart when I heard the topic on This Morning and I just knew this was the charity I was going to support.
“I’m really glad I’m here today. Well done everybody and well done to all the dogs. I tip my hat to all the volunteers and all the people who have trained these dogs, because you do an amazing job.”
