Crossing the country to fight cancer

BEST foot forward . . . (from the left) Jacky Plant, Jean Lowe, Peter Fitton, Anne Fitton and Ian Lowe

A THORNHAM cancer sufferer decided to go the extra mile to thank staff at the Christie Hospital for looking after him.

Peter Fitton recruited his wife Anne and their friends Ian and Jean Lowe for a 192-mile coast-to-coast walk from St Bees, Cumbria, to Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire.

The quartet got family, friends and others to sponsor them and raised £3,802 for the Withington hospital.

Peter, who was treated two years ago, said: “I had excellent treatment at the Christie and after I was given the all-clear I wanted to give something back to the amazing people who looked after me. Everyone was so skilled and so kind. “We’re golfers not walkers, so this was the first time we had done anything like this. But it was a wonderful experience.

“Despite getting very wet, it was great to take in some of the finest scenery in the country while raising money for such a worthy cause. And we made many friends along the way. Most of the people who sponsored us are from Oldham so we are really pleased that the money is going towards the new Christie radiotherapy centre at the Royal Oldham Hospital.”

Jacky Plant, regional fund-raising officer for the Christie Charity said: “Every step Peter and his friends took on this walk will help us to take a step further toward completing our new radiotherapy centre.

“We are so grateful for this donation which will help the Christie make a real difference to Oldham cancer patients.”

The centre will start treating patients in early 2010 and will care for people from Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Middleton, North Manchester and parts of Tameside.

Christie’s main site is the only centre in Greater Manchester and Cheshire to provide radiotherapy. The new one will have two £1.3 million radiotherapy machines and other high-tech equipment and will be able to treat 70 people a day.