An island doctor has taken his first steps on his mission to raise £1m for the families of NHS staff who have died from Covid-19 - while wearing his dressing gown.

Following his 14-hour shifts for the Manx Emergency Doctor Service (MEDS), Dr Martin Rankin has been walking anti-clockwise around the Raad Ny Foillan instead of going straight home to sleep.

Dr Rankin started his ’Sleep Walk’ campaign on Tuesday (May 5), walking from Noble’s Hospital down to the Sea Terminal, along Douglas Promenade before completing his first trek of many at the former Howstrake holiday camp in Onchan.

And by yesterday morning (Wednesday) he had reached Laxey.

He vows to cover 100 miles on the ’beautiful’ coastal footpath come rain or shine in aid of the families of the 100 NHS workers who died after treating others for the virus in the UK.

’People need to remember that every mile that I walk, that’s a healthcare worker’s life gone,’ he said.

The doctor’s typical working day starts at MEDS at 6pm and finishes at 8am. Following this, he usually goes home to sleep ahead of another overnighter.

He said: ’I won’t be able to sleep if I let the families down. These NHS workers who have died went the extra mile so I’m going to go 100 miles for them.’

In the UK, it was announced families of NHS England and Wales frontline staff who have died from Covid-19 would receive a £60,000 payment. ’To think that these people went to work to help others, contracted the disease that killed them and then families left without support. The £60,000 is not enough. We have to do better than that.’

His efforts have raised more than £2,100 so far.

Dr Rankin, who hit headlines last month after warning against relaxing the Covid-19 lockdown early, hopes a printing company may help him make leaflets giving information about his cause.

To support him, go to www.gofundme.com/f/families-of-health-careworkers-died-from-covid19