MORE than 7,000 walkers from Cheshire, including Kerry McDowell from Widnes, went the extra mile and completed Prostate Cancer UK’s fourth walking challenge.
March the Month raised over £1.7 million and the hugely popular event was also met with Royal approval.
The charity’s patron, the Duchess of Gloucester, put her best foot forward every day in March and also chatted to Kerry about her personal quest.
Kerry, 60, decided to take part in the challenge after she lost her dad Mike McKeown to prostate cancer in January this year.
She has been taking part in the Prostate Cancer UK’s March the Month challenge since 2019 to help raise awareness of the disease and is determined to help stop other people going through what she and her family are facing.
Kerry said: ‘‘My family and I were absolutely devastated when we lost dad to prostate cancer.
‘‘He was such a lovely, positive man, who always had a smile on his face and a kind word for everyone. We all miss him so much and can't believe he's no longer with us.
“I am not the strongest walker, but my determination to help raise awareness of the disease and vital funds for Prostate Cancer UK kept me motivated - so far I have raised nearly £3,000.
“I don't want anyone to face what my family and I are going through and hope that all of our efforts have made a difference to help stop prostate cancer being a killer.”
Inspired by people like Kerry, Prostate Cancer UK’s royal patron also walked 11,000 steps every day in honour of the 11,000 men who die from prostate cancer every year in the UK and to also help raise vital awareness of the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK.
To crown a successful month, the Duchess joined an intimate video chat which was shared across social media to more than 4.4m people, with Kerry as well as the Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, Angela Culhane.
The trio were also joined by fellow marcher, Peter Silk, who decided to take part in March the Month after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost a year ago.
The Duchess was visibly moved by the duo’s stories and recounted her own exploits with her walking partner, her husband the Duke of Gloucester, in the local paddock in the morning and then the park in the afternoon.
The Duchess of Gloucester said: “I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to Kerry, Peter and Angela and sharing our experiences of March the Month.
‘‘They were all such a delight and incredibly inspirational and their stories really helped to drive home the importance of events such as March the Month and why raising awareness of prostate cancer is so essential.”
To view the March the Month video, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUTo1ayeQr4
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