A man who has raised £100,000 for charity since his terminal cancer diagnosis is set to take on a 588-mile walking challenge. Paul Dennington's "March Through Life" will see him walk from North Shields to Hempstead Valley, near his home town of Gillingham, over 36 days.
The extraordinary journey will mark milestone moments from Dennington's 59 years of life. He has raised more than £100,000 and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK since his diagnosis in February 2021, aiming to fund research and establish a screening programme to help others.
Journey begins at birthplace
Dennington will set off from his place of birth in North Shields on Sunday. The opening day will see him visit his first house, his former infant and junior school, and will end at St James' Park, home to his boyhood football club Newcastle United.
As he navigates his way south, Dennington will visit key life landmarks and pay tribute at the resting places of his late parents. His challenge finishes on September 7 when he reaches his current home in Hempstead where he has lived for the past 27 years.
Scaling heights for awareness
By the walk's end, Dennington will have scaled 27,375 feet - just shy of the summit of Mount Everest. The serious message of his walk will also be shared via several awareness talks along the way.
"When I was diagnosed it felt surreal as I didn't have symptoms and thought I was pretty fit and healthy," Dennington said. "I did feel guilt, though, as it was my body that was the reason my family were going to have to go through this journey."
Fundraising exceeds expectations
What began as a modest target has transformed into remarkable success. "When I started fundraising, I thought I might raise up to £5,000 but it kind of took off," he explained.
"For this challenge I wanted to do something different and big that would grab attention, would encourage donations, be physically challenging and would be personally poignant for my fifth year," Dennington added. He wants to help prevent other men and their families from going through the same journey whilst giving hope to those already facing the disease.
Screening programme urgency
Dennington emphasises the critical need for early detection. "Caught early, prostate cancer is very treatable. However, I'm one of the circa 10,000 men a year caught too late to be cured and did not have obvious symptoms," he said.
"Without a screening programme in the UK we rely heavily on well-informed and willing men to proactively get themselves tested. That is why raising awareness of risk is so important," he added.
Charity praises determination
Prostate Cancer UK chief executive Laura Kerby praised Dennington's relentless efforts. "To say Paul is a force of nature would be an understatement," she said. "Despite his diagnosis, he has worked relentlessly to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK, and his efforts are always whole-hearted."
Dennington has already raised more than £16,000 before the challenge starts and has set himself a target of £30,000. Kerby described this as his most extreme fundraising effort to date, acknowledging it as a deeply personal journey he will tackle with characteristic grit and determination.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
