Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown and deputy Mayor Liz McMillan will meet and walk with mosque shooting survivor Temel Atacocugu when he passes through Ashburton this afternoon (Friday 11 March) on a walk of peace.

Mr Atacocugu is travelling from Dunedin to Christchurch and the Council leaders will meet him at the Tinwald mosque on Archibald Street about 4pm and walk 3.4km with him to the Ashburton Library.

It is three years since the terror attacks at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch and Mr Atacocugu is walking and cycling the 350km to Christchurch to reclaim the terrorist’s path in the name of peace.

He was praying at the mosque on Deans Avenue when the attack began. He was shot nine times and still carries the fragments of bullets in his body.

As part of the Walk for Peace, he is also raising money for the Key to Life Charitable Trust, the Child Cancer Foundation and Save the Children.

Mayor Brown said Ashburton people were welcome to join them on the walk from Tinwald to the Ashburton Public Library, where Mr Atacocugu would make a stop to meet wellwishers.