"I will be very emotional" says Washington man ahead of 110 mile fundraising walk in memory of friends who passed away from cancer

Colin, 59, will be walking from The Steps pub in Washington Village to The Wainwright pub in Keswick in memory of one of his best friends who passed away from cancer in 2022 at the age of 48.

He will be joined in his cross Pennine trek by his pet terrier dog Stanley.

Colin, who works in construction, said: “I was going to do the walk last year on what would have been his fiftieth birthday, but I was ill from Covid, and so I’ve decided to do it this year on what will be my sixtieth birthday.

“He was cared for by the Mamillan nurses and his wife has asked me to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.”

Colin is going to be walking to support two other friends, one a veteran who died from cancer in June last year (2024), and another who lost his wife to cancer in 2022.

He is also going to be walking for friends who tragically lost their teenage daughter in October (2024). She was also battling cancer.

Colin said: “The walk is going to be very emotional and I’m going to be thinking about all these people on my way. I’ve set a target of £4,000 with 40% going to Macmillan Cancer Support, 20% going to Cancer Research UK, and 20% going to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

“The final 20% will go to Help the Heroes who really supported my friend when he was ill.”

Colin is set to embark on his walk from The Steps on Saturday June 7 and is due to arrive in Keswick on Saturday June 14.

He said: “I’ve got support from a friend who is going to drive my campervan, so I’ve got somewhere to stay each night, and I’ve got people joining me at different stages of the walk - I won’t be on my own.

“Before I get to Keswick, I’m going to be meeting some family and friends in Threlkeld and they are going to join me for the final leg of the walk into Keswick.”

Colin has set up a JustGiving page and has already raised £2,715 towards his initial £4,000 target.

He said: “Any donations will be really appreciated and if I raise more than my target I will donate the additional money to Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care.”

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