Stephen and Annette's 70 Mile Memory Walk
A group from Stalybridge is set to take on a mammoth walk in memory of a beloved father to raise vital funds for cancer research.
Stephen and Annette Rawson will be joined by Stephen’s brother Paul Rawson and colleague John Turner as they plan to traverse 70 miles in memory of Stephen and Paul’s father Peter, who passed from pancreatic cancer in October of last year.
During his life, Peter was a Civil Engineer for Tameside Council and was instrumental in rerouting the Huddersfield Narrow Canal back through to the centre of Stalybridge and the regeneration of Ashton-Under-Lyne Market Hall following a fire in 2004.
To mark this achievement, the group will take on the South Pennine Canal Ring, covering five different canal networks and just over 70 miles over the course of two days, with an overnight stop at Hebden Bridge. The route will mark a significant beginning and end point in Stalybridge alongside a portion of the canal that Peter and his team worked hard to restore over twenty years ago.
The group are encouraging supporters to join them – either by walking with them for a portion of the challenge or in spirit with a virtual walk in their own time. Support has flooded in from friends, family, and colleagues and the team is making a good start to hit their £5,000 target.
Stephen said: “My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May last year and sadly passed away in October at only 69 years old. To mark what would have been his 70th birthday on 15th May, we decided to plan a 70-mile walk to raise money for North West Cancer Research in my dad’s memory. He cared a great deal about his hometown of Stalybridge and in retirement he remained involved with the Canal Society and became Chairman of the Stalybridge Town Team, so it feels only fitting that we walk a route on the canal.
“We’ll be walking for over 12 hours each day so the pace will be brisk and stops brief, but we’ve got some family and friends who are joining us for portions of the walk which is brilliant.
“We became aware of North West Cancer Research recently following a talk from their fundraiser Jimmy Moutray and felt that a local cancer charity fit really well with what we wanted to achieve. In addition to losing my dad to pancreatic cancer last year, my Mum was also diagnosed and treated for breast cancer a few years back. Thankfully she is healthy now, however, it serves as a stark reminder about the prevalence and effect that cancer can have on families, particularly in the North”
You can support the group at: https://www.justgiving.com/page/annette-rawson