Mates raise £21,000 for charity in coast-to-coast walk

The walkers, who had combined ages spanning more than 1,000 years, covered just under 100 miles in three-and-a-half days.

It was organised by John Tasker, who got the idea when a regular at his local pub did a Walk 4 Life for charity. Tasker said: “It was great to get together with old school friends, guys I have played rugby with at Mansfield Rugby Club and chaps I have an occasional pint with at the Maypole pub in Skegby.”

All the walkers were sponsored, and the money generated was split between the John Eastwood Hospice at Sutton, which provides specialist care for the terminally ill, and Macmillan Cancer Support, charities that are close to the hearts of many of the men.

Among Tasker’s crew were Martin Lowe, who was one of eight reunited school friends at Sutton Centre (now Sutton Community Academy), and Martin ‘Freddie’ Trueman, who said: “It was great to raise such a fantastic total and to give to our two chosen charities more than £10,000 each. We would like to thank all our sponsors, especially the main ones. Without their kind generosity, we wouldn’t now have the warm glow of a job well done.”

Both charities said they were delighted to receive the money, which will help them continue their valuable work.