Tony's challenge of a lifetime, for Tina

Tony Hadfield is hoping the 10-week hike will raise £10,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Catcliffe, Rotherham, in a moving tribute to his childhood sweetheart, Tina, who lost her battle with bowel cancer, aged just 47.

49-year-old Tony is a little over three-weeks into his charity hike, and has just passed Gretna, the border of Scotland. He has already raised £2,075 towards his total.

His daughter, Charlotte Palmer, said: “Dad has had a lot of troubles along the way, with extreme rain, fatigue, and losing his way. He’s rerouted himself several times already to try and make his nights and days on the road better.

“Luckily, he’s been put up many nights for free and has stayed with friends of friends as much as possible. Dad has met some great people along the way who have used the power of social media to get their friends to donate to this cause too. One woman, Janine, heard what dad was doing and paid to put him up for a night in a hotel as he was passing through Carlisle, and her daughter paid for a meal for him that night. People have been wonderful.”

Tony, a former marathon runner, is currently walking the equivalent of a half marathon every day, despite his worsening MS symptoms. He is scheduled to reach Sheffield on September 1, before heading on to Bakewell.

“Tina is my inspiration,” said the grandfather.

“I’m getting quite clumsy and my balance is terrible. It can be hard to deal with, but I’m just getting on with it.”

Text THWW66 £5 to 70070 to donate.