Kempston man's 166km walk from Bedford to Brighton raises thousands for Children With Cancer UK

A man from Kempston raised over £5,000 for Children With Cancer UK when he walked 166km from Bedford to Brighton.

Godwin Debattista, 56, wanted to raise money for Children With Cancer UK to help the charity in the fight against childhood cancer, raising money for research and providing care for children with cancer and their families.

The aims of their research projects are to understand what causes children to get cancer and to develop improved treatments.

Godwin said: "In 2003, my dad was in hospital in Malta, where we lived, with terminal cancer. As a family we would take it in turns to stay overnight with him.

"On one occasion, I saw a child on one of the wards that had the same cancer as my dad, and that has stuck with me ever since.

"When I heard about this charity and the work they do, I knew it was something that I wanted to help with and support."

Godwin's original target was £2,000, he has now raised £5,210 for Children With Cancer UK.

The 56-year-old started the challenge on Saturday, September 26, and reached Brighton on Monday night.

He said: "During the walk, which lasted 45 hours in total, there were laughter, tears, dancing, and even paramedics involved"

"I passed out due to exhaustion on the Saturday night. The medical advice given was to rest up and possibly postpone the rest of the walk to a later date.

"However when I woke up on Sunday morning, reading so many messages of love and support, I simply put my walking shoes back on and completed the walk, firstly Sunday then the following day.

"The Grand Finale on Monday night was spectacular, arriving at Brighton Beach after walking for 10 hours, and diving straight into the sea right next to Brighton Pier, which felt very iconic and made me reminisce about Malta (except the English Channel is freezing!).

"A big thanks goes to my daughters Charlotte and Sophie, their partners Chris and Malcolm, my Ocado UK work colleagues and other friends who came down to support me, grateful to my families in Malta and the UK, neighbours in Bedford and last but not least all those who donated and shared the love during this marvellous experience.

"We are #TeamGoddo27 I loved every minute!

"There will definitely be more charity work, as I have now got the fundraising bug back!"

Next year he plans to do something bigger to raise money for charity.

The Just Giving page is still open, to make a donation visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bedfordtobrightonwalk.