A MAN from York has taken on the challenge of a lifetime by walking 100km in under 24 hours for Bowel Cancer UK.

Joe Allardice, 32, took part in the Ultra Peak District Challenge earlier this month.

Raising awareness of bowel cancer is important to the CNC engineer as his stepdad, Andrew ‘Andy’ Keld, died from the disease on February 14 this year. Andy, from Pickering, North Yorkshire, was only 58 when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2017.

Every 30 minutes someone dies from bowel cancer, making it the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. However it shouldn’t be because it is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. The money raised by Joe will help Bowel Cancer UK, the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity, fund vital services and lifesaving research.

It seems fundraising runs in the family, as instead of wedding presents, Andy requested that donations be made to York against Cancer, where he was having his chemotherapy at the time, raising over £1,000.

Joe Allardice said: “I wouldn’t wish on anyone what we as a family went through. Watching my dad face this head on from the start and suffer in the end made me determined to do whatever I could to help ensure a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer. I’m incredibly grateful for all the support and donations I have had. So far I have raised over £500 for the charity.”

Fundraising Events Manager for Bowel Cancer UK, Leanne Richards, said: “We are very proud to have had Joe take on the challenge for us. It’s because of people like Joe we can continue to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer.”

Donations can be made to Joe’s fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joe-allardice2.