Stephen’s 1,000 mile charity trek

When Macclesfield resident Stephen Fox, 68, was diagnosed with Barrett’s Oesophagus, he decided to help raise awareness of a disease that few people have heard of but may afflict a million people in Britain.

On May 6th he set out to walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats – carrying his tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment and everything else he might need – on his back.

Of his decision to embark on the 1000 mile sojourn, Stephen said, “I realised that people were not aware of the condition and decided I wanted to raise awareness of it and hopefully some money too. Barrett’s Wessex was the obvious choice of charity to support.”

The Barrett’s Wessex charity co-founder and chairman, Chris Robinson, explains, “There are many charities that focus on cancer but with oesophageal cancer, a diagnosis is likely to come too late with a typical prognosis of a few weeks. Barrett’s Wessex is a charity specifically attempting to raise awareness of Barrett’s Oesophagus which can be monitored and treated to minimise the risk of it progressing to cancer. We are delighted that Stephen has chosen our charity and we wish him bonne marche.”

Stephen’s progress may be followed by occasional updates to the dedicated website: sites.google.com/site/StephensLEJOG

Barrett’s Wessex charity was inaugurated in Southampton in 2009. It now covers the whole of the 7 counties of modern Wessex with hubs in other parts of the region and providing support for other groups they have set up, or are in the process of setting up, in other parts of the country.

For further information on Barrett’s Oesophagus and the Barrett’s Wessex charity go to; https://www.facebook.com/BarrettsWessex