Kendall Green, 64, of Beaconsfield, walked a total of 192 miles from June 24 to July 7 to help the ‘amazing work’ of the hospice, based in High Wycombe.
His trek from west to east was made all the more impressive because it came just six months after he had been too weak to even walk a few steps. He had been diagnosed with cancer in January 2023.
Last month, he proudly handed over a cheque to the hospice for £8,632.21 which came through donations.
Kendall, who is married with three children, said: “I am in recovery from cancer of the tongue and neck.
“After surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy which left me unable to walk to the bathroom, never mind across the country, I am getting back to something resembling fitness.”
The walk was from St Bees in Cumbria to Robins Hood Bay in north Yorkshire, passing through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. He had been planning to complete the walk for many years previously, but after his cancer diagnosis, he decided to do it on behalf of charity.
Kendall, a retired cabin service director for British Airways, was accompanied at the start by two friends and walking pals for the duration, with four others joining later, including wife Jo.
He said: “It was amazing. Before it started, I was worried if I was able to do it with the history of the last 18 months but after the initial three days of getting my walking legs back, I got into it and managed to complete it. It was tough but incredibly rewarding.”
He explained the reason for choosing to raise funds for South Bucks Hospice: “I went there for my first appointment in March, for lymphoedema treatment. I wasn’t really looking forward to it, after a total of 91 visits to five different hospitals in the past year.”
But he was surprised and delighted to find how calming and welcoming South Bucks Hospice was.
“It was calm, relaxed, very welcoming - my first thoughts were, it looks like a private hospital, but no, it’s almost entirely charity-run with only a very small bit of Government funding.
“They provide a whole range of services for people diagnosed with a life-limiting or a life-threatening illness on an out-patient basis to the local community.”
He added: “I’m still going there and it’s a breath of fresh air. So, it’s personal, a small charity doing amazing work for people with cancer or recovering from cancer.”
For more information on South Bucks Hospice, go to sbh.org.uk
