Born and raised in Thornton Heath, the retired former carpenter has signed up to Palace for Life Foundation’s seventh annual Marathon March this October – a 26.2-mile walk across south London to raise money to help transform the lives of young south Londoners.
The non-competitive event – for which it's now your last chance to sign up – brings together Palace fans, legends and supporters on an annual basis to raise money for the Foundation's variety of inspiring projects and causes.
And for Hollands, the combination of both the fun experience and the important cause make it an unmissable event in his calendar.
“I started doing the Marathon March six years ago and I’ve done all six so far,” Hollands told cpfc.co.uk.
“I saw it advertised on the App. I’d never walked a marathon before, so thought it would be good to do! I like a walk, and I wanted to raise some money for a good cause – the Foundation.
“It’s just a great day out, to be honest. You feel quite pleased with yourself when you finish and it’s great to chat with other people. It’s not a race – you just take your time, meander along and enjoy yourself really.”
In his seventh year taking part, Hollands will be looking to replicate what has now become an unorthodox annual tradition – the exact same photo, mid-walk, of the Palace fan doffing his cap!
Hollands laughs. “I was just walking through Richmond Park that first year. I spotted that the photographer was there, so off came the cap!
“It was just a bit of fun – and I’ve done it ever since. It’s become a bit of a tradition, to be honest.”
