11:30am Tuesday 19th May 2009
By Jonathan Portlock
A man who lost his wife to cancer last year is hiking around the Isle of Wight for five days to raise money for the Weybridge hospice which cared for her.
Paul Smith, 48, from Staines, is walking the 67 mile coastal path around the island starting at Cowes from Monday, June 8, with his 22-year-old son Aaron and six other family members and friends in aid of the Sam Beare Hospice.
The hospice cared for his wife Suzanne, who died this February, after she was diagnosed with secondary liver cancer last April.
Paul is currently training up to four times a week at the Thames Club gym in Staines, under the guidance of fitness manager James Stevens.
He said: “The Thames Club has been very supportive in helping me get fit and I hope to take the 67 miles in my stride.”
He came up with the idea to take on the challenge as way of saying thank you to the hospice.
“They were was always there for us during Suzanne’s last months and helped make her comfortable and provided support for the family,” he said.
“Suzanne and I used to go for walks all the time with our two collies, so I thought a walk would be a fitting way to remember her and to raise funds for a very worthwhile cause at the same time.”
To sponsor Paul, you can pick up a form from the Thames Club in Wheatsheaf Lane, Staines, or call 01784 463100.
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