‘Uplifting’ day as scores of walkers pay tribute to dad
Friends and family take on 10km walk to raise brain tumour funds
AROUND 60 people put their best feet forward on New Year’s Day to raise more than £1,800 in memory of a beloved Portsmouth father and husband.
Friends and family of popular Mick Hansford took on a 10km walk from Eastney Swimming Pool to the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth and back, on the date of what would have been Mick’s 60th birthday.
As reported, father-offive Mick died from a brain tumour on May 13, 2021 at the age of 59.
His wife Jackie, 51, said it was ‘uplifting’ to see so many people join in.
‘Quite a few more people turned up to walk than I would have predicted,’ she said.
‘It was really nice to see them all and to know Mick had touched their lives in some way.
‘The weather held off okay. It was a nice day with just a spot of rain when we got to the Coffee Cup. Some more elderly people didn’t do the whole route but most of us did.
‘And a couple of Mick’s friends even went in the sea for a dip after someone said they would sponsor them £50.’
All cash raised will go towards Brain Tumour Research, with a total of £1,830 reached so far – smashing the family’s original target of £500.
Jackie added: ‘We already did some fundraising for Brain Tumour Research with a wear a hat day and raised £1,600. So I wasn’t sure that people would want to donate again.
‘But we think we might do something on New Year’s Day next year – maybe another walk or a swim or, who knows, maybe even a run.’
Mick first started getting symptoms in October 2019 but wasn’t diagnosed with a brain tumour until the following February.
He contracted Covid-19 and spent almost a month on a ventilator at the end of his radiotherapy treatment at Queen Alexandra Hospital last November.
Mick and Jackie were able to spend their last Christmas Day together on the ward before his discharge in January, when he enjoyed a brief recovery before the tumour led to a fatal decline in his health.
To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/mickhanford.