THREE North East charities will benefit from the fundraising efforts of friends who are joining together to complete an arduous 84-mile trek along Hadrian’s Wall in just three days.
Paul and Louise Milroy will be joined by friends Nev Harris, Allison Harris, Matty Harris, Allison Carrahar, Jason Carrahar, Sam Scott and Karen Scott, all from Washington, and two back up crew, as they head off from Bowness on Solway on the morning of April 25 and trek to Segudunum by the 27.
The friends are hoping to raise hundreds of pounds for their chosen charities.
Louise, 47, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and has been cancer free for five years after undergoing a mastectomy. She received a great deal of support from one of the chosen charities, the Women’s Cancer Detection Society at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, Gateshead.
The fundraisers will also be donating money to The Brain Tumour Trust in memory of their friend Paul Warris, who died in March last year after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, and St Benedict’s Hospice, a renowned specialist centre for palliative care, where he died.
But the challenge will not be easy. Paul Milroy, 49, a health and safety management consultant, has lost three stone since last October in his bid to be fit for the trek and has another stone to lose before he reaches his target weight.
“I found myself driving in the car a lot for work and eating unhealthy food. The weight just crept on, so it seemed like a good time to get fit and healthy,” he said.
“I ran GNR in 2015 and 2016 for the same charity but wanted to raise the bar a bit, 84 miles in three days. This is going to be a challenge for us all, but the camaraderie and beautiful countryside will help.
“We’ve been preparing for it by going on longer walks and running up and down the steps at Penshaw Monument. We all wanted to give something back to these fantastic charities and to do something in memory of Paul as well.”
Catrina Flynn, head of fundraising operations at the hospice, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Paul and his team for taking on this challenge for us. It’s no easy trek but we know they will draw courage and inspiration from each other as they complete it.”
Paul has been recording his trek journey in a blog. Log onto: http://www.4st-84miles.co.uk