Charity duo in 80-mile trek are Skye high!
Friends raise more than £2,000 for Christie cancer centre
TWO friends have completed a hike around Scotland’s Isle of Skye to raise money for the Christie cancer centre.
John Thorley and Mike Banks completed the 79-mile ‘Isle of Skye Trail Trek’ to help raise £2,260 for The Christie cancer centre in Macclesfield, smashing their fundraising target of £750.
The pair completed the walk over six days in July - sometimes walking up to 14 hours a day.
A health and safety specialist from Macclesfield, John’s consultancy is based just five minutes away from the Christie site which is currently under construction at Macclesfield District General Hospital.
Both John and Mike, who now lives and works in Skye, have lost loved ones to cancer.
For John this includes his uncle, Philip George Bradley, who sadly passed away in May and his aunt, Joyce Bradley, who died of cancer in 2020.
“I made a pledge a number of years ago to undertake a challenge every year to help raise funds for charity,” said John.
“Cancer affects one and all, either directly or indirectly. Mike and I have both lost loved ones to cancer and we wish to play a small part in raising funds to support the fantastic work that The Christie does.
“The Christie at Macclesfield will be linked to The Christie in Manchester, which is an international centre of excellence. I know how the journey times and the stress associated with having cancer treatment will be reduced when the new centre opens in Macclesfield.”
When it opens in December 2021, the new cancer centre will treat around 1,500 existing cancer patients each year and provide around 46,000 appointments.
John added that he and Mike experienced some breathtaking scenery during the hike.
He said: “The challenge was well worth the effort as we experienced some of the most breath-taking scenery in Scotland, trekking from Broadford in the South East of Skye to Rubha Hunish in the North, taking in the coastline, walking the Trotternish Ridge, ten summits in one day, and around the Quiraing and through the Glen Sligachan valley with the Black and Red Cuillin Mountains providing a spectacular backdrop.
“We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to those people who sponsored us both and the kind messages people left on our Just Giving page commending the work The Christie does.”