Round the town we go
A pledge to help the hospital where he was treated has grown into a walking challenge on a new, long distance route for fundraisers.
The Oswestry Round network of paths and canal towpaths circling the Shropshire Town was devised by David Andrews and his wife, Jane Trudgill when he was recovering from prostate cancer.
On June 10 people are being asked to take part in a sponsored walk of the 33 mile route to raise funds for the Lingen Davies Centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where he was treated.
The day has been organised with help from local Rotarians, starting and ending at the Lion Quays hotel and Spa. People can chose to do all or half of the route and walk or run it.
There will be marshalls and medical cover between 4.45am and 10pm along the route which goes anti-clockwise to the hills of the Welsh/Shropshire border and part of Offa's Dyke to Llanymynech and then along the flat Shropshire plain and canal towpaths back to the Lion Quays.
Last year's inaugural event raised more than £10,000.
Mr Andrews, who last month ran the London Marathon for charity, said: “Jane and I were really keen to repay the wonderful staff at the Lingen Davies Centre where I was treated for prostate cancer in 2014. I revived an idea for a book which first occurred to me about eight years ago.
“Oswestry is in a pretty unique position, having the hill country of Wales to the west and the lower land of Shropshire to the east. It was fun to devise a circular route."
People can find more information about the Oswestry Round Challenge and about Dave Andrews’s book at www.oswestryround.co.uk where they can also register for the challenge.
Although the emphasis is on fun anyone wanting to push themselves can try to been last year's fastest walker, Justyn Haycock and Jamie Owen, from Welshpool, who completed the 33-mile course in 10 hours and two minutes or runner Alec White of the Oswestry Olympians who run it in seven hours and 10 minutes.
