As a way of saying thank you to Macmillan Cancer Support for the service provided to him and his family both before and after losing his mother-in-law to liver cancer at the young age of 64, Chris Astle, from Chester decided to gather a team together with the aim of raising over £2,000 for the charity, and other people like himself who have been, or are affected by cancer…and they couldn’t think of a better way to do this than by challenging themselves with a 34 mile walk!
Chris, along with his team of five decided to put on their walking boots and head over to Frodsham to walk the Sandstone Trial (from Frodsham to Whitchurch), a total distance of 34 miles, with the aim to complete in one day. The team also included Jonathan Astle-Rowe; Chris’s twin Brother, Louis Hill, Jon Murgatroyd and Mike McQuillan, all close friends of Chris.
Chris said:
'I’m delighted that we’ve raised £2,200 for Macmillan Cancer Support through the generosity of friends, family, and business contacts. This money has been raised in memory of Vicki Corless who passed away in November 2007, and to say a BIG thank you to Macmillan for the tremendous support that they gave to my family during Vicki’s fight with cancer. In this high tech world we now live in, it’s nice to know there’s people (and organisations) out there that still perform acts of human kindness, so thank you Macmillan!'
Continuing to speak about the walk he said:
'We started at 6am from the Bears Paw in Frodsham. With good spirits along the way, and many laughs, we managed to keep up a good pace throughout the day, and completed the walk in just under 11 hours; despite heavy rain, strong winds, and aching bodies affecting us during the third (and final) leg in the afternoon.'
Aimee Scally, Community Fundraiser for Chester recognises the hard work and commitment given by Chris and his team to ensure a great fundraising event:
'Local support is absolutely vital to Macmillan’s work and an integral part of the charity. Practically all the money that Macmillan receives comes from the generosity of local people like Chris. We really could not provide the support and care to those affected by cancer without it. Thank you.'