A TERMINALLY ill man and his granddaughter have raised £5,000 for cancer research by walking together - while being 300 miles apart.
Lottie Cooper (12), who lives in West Sussex with her family, organised a fund-raising walk after her grandfather Ray Hall (75), of Hexham, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer,
On Sunday, they both set off for a two-mile walk at the same time, keeping in contact with each other via technology.
And they have raised £5,000 for medical research charity Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund through their fund-raising efforts to date.
Mr Hall, a retired chartered quantity surveyor who founded Hall and Partners construction and project management consultancy in Newcastle and a former chairman of Age Concern Newcastle, surprised everybody by completing the walk in just two stints.
His daughter Nikki Cooper said: "Two miles is a lot for Dad at the moment and he gets cold very quickly, but being part of something so positive gave him that extra boost to keep going."
Lottie added: "I phoned Grandpa and Grandma just before and then we facetimed halfway through our walk to check on him.
"I can’t wait to see Grandpa and give him a huge hug. He did so well."
Hundreds of people across the world, including Spain, Dubai and Australia, also joined in with the walk.
Mr Hall said: "This was one of the best days I’ve had since my diagnosis, and definitely the best since lockdown because it felt like I was with all my friends, even though they weren’t there in person.”
People can still donate to Lottie's and Ray's cause by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/walktogether4pancreaticcancerresearch.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here