By Brian Bennett

One of the organisers behind a drive to raise funds for Prostate Cancer via an annual walk said they will continue with the event ‘as long as people want to do it.’

North Seaton based Stevie Baptist has now completed five walks in as many years alongside colleagues labelled as the ‘Wor March for Men’ and the group are heading towards a grand amount of  £20,000 for Prostate Cancer UK – which includes this year’s total which was in excess of £4,000.

The participants covered a distance of 25 miles setting off from South Shields Football Club and walked back to Ashington FC via stops at North Shields FC, Whitley Bay FC and Blyth Spartans FC. They arrived during the half time interval at the Ashington versus Newcastle Benfield match in the Ebac Northern League and were warmly applauded for their efforts by the fans as they took a bow on the pitch: “On the day, the conditions were windy but dry,” said Mr Baptist, “we just do our own time and to be honest the banter keeps us going.”

He continued: “We are delighted to be on the verge of the £20,000 mark and we have already begun discussions about what route to take next year – and we’ll continue to do the walk as long as people want to do it.”

Seren Evans, Head of Events and Community Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’d like to give a massive thanks to everyone for their tireless efforts over the past five years and an incredible fundraising sum of around £19,000.”

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and the Covid-19 pandemic has made living with a diagnosis only harder. Thankfully, the support of everyone involved in ‘Wor March for Men’ and so many other wonderfully generous people has allowed us to continue funding research into better tests and treatments, to stop prostate cancer being a killer.” “When the future is uncertain and the choices are tough, we stand for men with prostate cancer. We thank all those involved with ‘Wor March for Men’ for going that extra mile.”