00:00 It's something that we need to do to make us aware of how fragile life is.
00:08 [Music]
00:30 Hospice care means a great deal to me.
00:33 My late wife had her last few days in extra hospice.
00:37 My children were only small at the time, two and four.
00:40 I was able to take them in right up to the very, very end.
00:43 And she had contact with them until the end.
00:45 The nurses were amazing.
00:47 All the care staff were absolutely fantastic.
00:51 Yeah, Hospice is a fantastic charity.
00:53 Yeah, I think I was keen to continue the support I've done since I did my first walk back in 2020.
00:59 Sadly, I lost my mum to cancer in March 2019.
01:03 After quite a courageous battle, I was keen to give back to Hospice Care in terms of the support.
01:08 Not only to my mum when she was in the hospice in her final few weeks, but also to us as a family.
01:14 I think it's a great charity.
01:16 Myself, my friends and a wider family were keen to support it.
01:20 So yeah, that was my inspiration then and continues to be so now.
01:24 My friend, unfortunately, had recently lost his mum.
01:27 And we thought this would be a really good way to support my friend Nick.
01:32 In support of his dear mum.
01:34 And then so basically as a crew, basically from the fire station we attended.
01:38 It was a really, really good day out.
01:40 Charities, particularly caring charities, tend to be led and promoted by women.
01:46 And I think it's really nice that men can show that they also have a caring and compassionate side.
01:52 Friends, family sort of come together to support each other.
01:55 And probably share a bit of fun along the way.
01:58 You know, it's a good route, around a few bars, around the next tour, etc.
02:01 But along the quay, yeah, have a little bit of fun, excitement,
02:04 while probably dealing with some reality of some tough emotions for a lot of people that take part.
02:09 I didn't know what to expect.
02:11 But as soon as I arrived, I realised what a big event it was.
02:15 And it was fantastic.
02:16 We decided to start doing it in fancy dress.
02:19 So we've done village people, cheerleaders, pom-pom girls, centrillions.
02:28 And one of the funniest ones was Mrs Brown's boys.
02:32 What I enjoy is the feeling of solidarity and togetherness from a group of men.
02:38 All doing the same thing to raise money for a great cause, a caring and compassionate cause.
02:43 I have done it quite a few times before, but this particular year,
02:46 it's the 20th anniversary of my wife's death.
02:49 So I wanted to mark that by being involved again
02:54 and hopefully raising a bit of money for hospice care.
02:58 So the men's walk is basically thousands and thousands of people
03:02 that are all getting together for the same cause.
03:04 And then at the end of it, you're treated to a pasty and we all watch the rugby.
03:08 So yeah, fantastic.
03:09 Brilliant atmosphere. It was a really, really, really good day.
03:12 So I wouldn't encourage anybody to come out.
03:14 I'm a pretty private person for those that know me.
03:17 I don't like to talk about emotions, probably a typical male thing.
03:20 But I think dealing with my mum's cancer diagnosis over the six, seven years that she had it
03:26 and then sadly, obviously lost her brave fight.
03:29 I think hospice care were, in the final few weeks,
03:32 just such an important part of making her comfortable in her final weeks.
03:37 So if you're thinking of signing up to the men's walk 2024, I just wouldn't hesitate.
03:41 It's a really, really good day out.
03:44 You know, the scale of the event itself, it's just, it's massive.
03:47 There's thousands of people there and they're all like-minded people.
03:50 They're there to support their friends, colleagues and loved ones.
03:53 And you will have a really good day.
03:55 Don't think, just do it.
03:58 Yeah.
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04:15 (gentle music)
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