A team of colleagues from specialist financial services provider, Wesleyan, is set to raise more than £7,500 for Welsh cancer charities by walking from Swansea to Birmingham in just 12 days.
They are raising money for Maggie’s Centre in Swansea and the Old Mill Foundation in Penclawdd. These charities supported Wesleyan financial consultant Kerry Jones, who lives in Swansea, when he was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of cancer.
The group of 20 employees from Wesleyan’s South Wales Medical Team set off from Singleton Hospital on Sunday (27thJanuary) and will walk 123 miles to Wesleyan’s staff conference in Birmingham, arriving on Friday 8th February.
After months of chemotherapy and more than half a year of tirelessly fighting the rare germ cell tumour, Kerry was told his cancer was gone last Summer.
During that time, Maggie’s Centres provided invaluable emotional support and counselling to Kerry and his children, while the Old Mill Foundation continue to support him on his road to full recovery.
Kerry Jones, Financial Consultant at Wesleyan, said: “My work means that I deal with NHS staff every day, but being a patient really does hammer home the incredible work they do. Without the different doctors, specialists, surgeons and chemotherapy nurses, my outcome could have been so different.
“I really can’t put into words just how thankful I am for the support I’ve received from Maggie’s and the Old Mill Foundation – they have held my family together over the past few months.
“The incredible work they do helped my son Lewis to pass his A-Levels with flying colours, and my daughter Ellena to represent Wales at last year’s Commonwealth Games where she did her country proud.”
Alun Williams, the area manager at Wesleyan who is leading the walk, said: “Kerry is a such a well-loved member of the Wesleyan family, and we’re so grateful to everybody who worked so hard to keep him with us.
“As soon as Kerry came back to work we knew we had to do something to give back to those who supported him through his battle with cancer. We’re proud to take on this challenge to support the lifesaving work these groups do every day – although I’m not looking forward to the blisters!”
Sarah Hughes, Centre Head at Maggie’s, said: “At Maggie’s we aim to be there for anyone and everyone affected by cancer. Maggie’s is extremely family focused, supporting adults, young people and children. The money that Wesleyan is working so hard to raise will help us support other people like Kerry and his family across the UK, making sure that no-one has to battle cancer alone.”
To donate, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=WalktoConference&pageUrl=3
