Stand-up Ben Van der Velde to walk the London Underground

For charity, Ben Van der Velde is going to walk the entire London Underground network.

Starting on the 8th June, the stand-up comedian will aim to visit every Tube station on foot. His ambitious aim is to cover all 350 miles of the route in just 26 days.

Ben is undertaking the challenge to raise money for the Refugee Council. He explains: "Like so many people, I have watched the news open-mouthed and dumbfounded at the horrors so many people from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and beyond have had to escape from, as well as the pain, suffering and discomfort of their journey to Europe."

He continues: "World War II taught us that we could open our doors to refugees and help them build a new life, away from persecution. I feel this particularly strongly as both of my maternal grandparents had to get out of Berlin and Warsaw pretty sharpish in the late 1930s thanks to the actions of a very angry little Austrian. They were remarkably lucky that they could make a safe, quick passage and were able to make a new life for themselves here in Britain and I'd like to help those who are finding it much more difficult today."

Refugee Council head of Advocacy Dr. Lisa Doyle comments: "We're absolutely delighted that Ben has decided to raise money for the Refugee Council by setting himself this incredible challenge and we wish him the best of luck. Every mile he walks will raise much needed funds for the work we do helping refugees and asylum seekers here in Britain on their own journey, as they work towards being able to begin rebuilding their lives in safety."

This will not be Ben's first endurance challenge. As part of Mark Watson's 27-hour marathon show for Red Nose Day in 2015, Ben and fellow comic Chris Purchase attempted to visit every London Embassy on foot. However, that particular challenge failed. He explains: "In traditional British spirit, we ended with glorious failure. This time round I'm determined to bag every single station, from Amersham in Buckinghamshire, all the way down to Woolwich Arsenal. I'm so excited to be viewing my city in this unique way. It's going to be fascinating and uplifting and probably going to hurt a lot."

The last successful attempt to walk the entire London Underground network is believed to have been completed by Danielle Shap in 2009. She completed the challenge, including Overground stations, in nine months. Van der Velde is aiming to complete a similar distance in just one month. He explains: "This will include all major lines (and the DLR, travel pedants), but not the Overground, at least not yet, as that way madness lies."

Speaking about the distance, he adds: "It's equivalent of a half-marathon a day for a month: the London Underground Marathon if you will?"

Ben, who started out in comedy in 2010 and is the host of the Good Ship Comedy Club in Kilburn, is currently gearing up for his next show at the Edinburgh Fringe. The long walks he'll be taking will give him plenty of time to consider his set before his show, Barbarians, runs at The White Horse in Edinburgh from the 4th to 28th August (5:30pm).

To donate to the Refugee Council visit Ben's Just Giving page

Ben's plan

For those interested, here's Ben's draft schedule:

Day 1: Northern Line (Morden - Kennington): 13.5 miles
Day 2: Northern Line (Kennington - Euston - Kennington): 13 miles
Day 3: Northern Line (Edgware - High Barnet, via Camden Town): 30 miles
Day 4: Hammersmith and City Line (Hammersmith - Paddington): 5 miles
Day 5: Circle Line (Kings Cross- Kings Cross): 22 miles
Day 6: Bakerloo Line: 21 miles
Day 7: Rest day
Day 8: Victoria Line (Walthamstow - Brixton): 19 miles
Day 9: District Line (Richmond- West Kensington): 9 miles
Day 10: District Line (Upminster - Algate East): 21.5 miles
Day 11: District Line (Wimbledon - Earl's Court): 8 miles
Day 12: Central Line (Wanstead - Rodding Valley): 7.4 miles
Day 13: Central Line (West Ruislip - Liverpool Street): 29 miles
Day 14: Central Line (Bethnal Green - Epping): 26 miles
Day 15: Rest day
Day 16: Jubilee Line (Stanmore - Baker Street): 16 miles
Day 17: Jubilee Line (Southwark -North Greenwich): 17 miles
Day 18: DLR (Poplar - Blackwell via Stratford High Street): 9 miles
Day 19: Metropolitan Line (Harrow-on-the-Hill - Wembley Park): 5 miles
Day 20: Metropolitan Line (Amersham - West Harrow): 20 miles
Day 21: Piccadilly Line (Heathrow All Terminals - South Ealing): 20 miles
Day 22: Rest day
Day 23: Piccadilly Line (Uxbridge - Acton Town): 21 miles
Day 24: DLR (Tower Gateway - Lewisham): 8 miles
Day 25: Waterloo and City Line (Waterloo and Bank): 2 miles
Day 26: Piccadilly Line (Knightsbridge - Cockfosters): 23 miles
Day 27: "The sweet release of death"

For updates follow @benvandervelde