Anthony walks the walk for Macmillan: “It gave me time to reflect on memories…”

Taking on the challenge in memory of his mum Jackie and brother Liam, both of whom died of cancer, Anthony walked the equivalent of four marathons on four separate days across England and Wales, raising £5,913.87 in total.

Anthony, a Director for NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said he was pleasantly surprised to have raised almost treble his initial target: “It’s massively more than what I

anticipated when I kicked it off, it shows the sheer generosity and kindness of people.

"Doing this for Macmillan, almost everybody could relate to the horrors that cancer can bring.

"I feel massively proud to have done it and it’s one of the biggest achievements of my life and I need to say a big thank you to everybody who supported me with it.”

His route included 28 miles along the Devon coast, 26 miles along the Gower Peninsula, 27 miles at Ullswater Way and finishing with 26 miles along the beautiful Northumberland Coast.

Anthony added: “It gave me time to reflect on memories both good and bad, but mainly positive about the times I had with my brother and my mum.

"But also, doing the job I do within the NHS it helped me reflect on what we’re really all about – not just with cancer but healthcare for people in our population.

"You don’t often get ten hours on your time to have those thoughts but that was a good opportunity in some beautiful spots to do that.”

After resting his feet and having time to reflect, Anthony encourages anyone sitting on the fence when thinking about fundraising to roll up their sleeves and take on a challenge for

people living with and affected by cancer.

“People should embrace these challenges and there will always be difficult parts of any challenge and it brings about a lot of organising,” said Anthony.

“But Macmillan give you an advantage with plenty of support and answer a lot of questions, so you’re not on your own.

“The compassion and support we received from Macmillan as a family as such difficult times was of incredible.

“Macmillan always feels to me that the professionals bring their skills and expertise to patients and families like they’re doing it for the very first time, every time.”

Amy Hebdon, Macmillan Cancer Support’s Fundraising Manager in South Yorkshire, said: “We are so grateful to Anthony for taking on this challenge in honour of both his mum and

brother.”His incredible efforts will help us make sure that Macmillan can continue to do whatever it takes to make sure people living with cancer can access have access to vital cancer services and support.”

You can find out more about fundraising opportunities and inspiration at www.macmillan.org.uk/fundraise

*Macmillan provide services for people living with cancer at every stage of their cancer experience. They are there to provide emotional, practical, physical, and financial support.

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