Images & article provided by Jonathan White.
Ryan Jones, a first team coach for Nantwich Town Ladies football team, from Crewe, aged 29 and his brother-in-law, Michael Brown, have completed a mega walking fundraising challenge for The Christie.
Ryan and Michael started their epic non-stop walk from Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, on a promontory overlooking the River Teme, on Saturday 3rd June 2023 at 1pm and finished the next day at Nantwich Town FC’s Swansway Stadium at 11:30am.
They walked an incredible 59 miles in less than 24 hours in some of the hottest temperatures of the year so far, stopping only for refreshments and to apply blister plasters.
Ryan and Michael arrived at the Swansway Stadium to be met by dozens of friends and supporters.
Ryan chose to start the walk at Ludlow as his family have had several staycations in the town and local area, so it was a place that resonated with him. His research of the route also revealed that the walk would be relatively straightforward with country roads and canal paths, no major busy roads to contend with and also passed through picturesque areas of the Shropshire and Cheshire countryside.
Ryan also organised a special charity football match in late-May at the Swansway Stadium for The Christie. The match saw a ‘Ryan’s XI’ play against local league team Nantwich Pirates. Ryan’s XI featured some familiar first team Nantwich Town FC players including Sean Cooke and Caspar Hughes.
The walk and football match have raised nearly £3,000 of much needed funds for The Christie.
Ryan chose to raise money for The Christie, as his dad, Allan, has been undergoing cancer treatment at their cancer hospital.
Michael joined Ryan on the walk to aid the fundraising and because his wife, Deborah Brown (Ryan’s sister), has also been treated at The Christie.
Ryan is still accepting donations for the fundraising walk. To donate, please visit his JustGiving page via: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ryan-jones-1680879541025
Ryan said: “From the bottom of my heart, I just want to say thank you to everyone. A silly little idea I had after a few too many beers has grown into an unbelievable fundraising effort for Christie’s, and we’ve reached a figure I never thought would be possible. The response we’ve had has blown me away, friends I haven’t spoken to in years, people I’ve never met, everyone has come together to support such a wonderful cause, and it’s shown my dad how loved he is- which for me is the best thing of all. The walk was hard, a lot harder than I thought and there were times where we doubted ourselves, but the donations and messages kept us going and we’re truly humbled to be surrounded by such unbelievable friends and family. Next year I’m doing a bake sale instead though!”