About the Project
Contact: hikingintheirhonourcruk@outlook.com

A signpost on the edge of a field against a blue sky. The post has two "public footpath" signs and two "Viking Way" signs on it, each pointing in a different direction.

How It Started

I wanted to walk Coast to Coast. That's all, initially. To cross the country from one side to another seemed like a big enough challenge - at least in the beginning. When John passed away, I decided that it would make a good fundraiser for Cancer Research UK, and set to considering the logistics.

The problem was, the more research I did, the more I discovered other long-distance paths that looked wonderful, and other challenge-based hikes such as the National and Yorkshire Three Peaks. I'd rediscovered hiking, and its freedom and mental benefits - and this idea of fundraising with it planted itself firmly in my mind and quietly germinated, refusing to let go.

My job with the ambulance service regularly reminds me that life is too short. We are privileged to do the things we love doing, and to spend time with the people we love. John's diagnosis is only further proof of that, and I could list many more names in example. So here we are: with an idea that has taken root and grown into this project.

How To Get Involved

Put simply, I am going to walk. I will plan hikes around my shifts, and publish the dates on the calendar and on the project's social media accounts. Anyone is welcome to attend, whether that is the whole walk, or one day of a multi-day hike, or to meet at the accommodation and share a meal.

The only stipulation is that if you choose to attend, you either donate to my fundraising page, or you create one as part of this team and raise some sponsorship of your own. If you choose simply to donate, there is no recommended amount; it is your choice. You will be supporting screening and early diagnosis. However, if you choose to join the team and create your own fundraising page, you can choose a different area of Cancer Research UK's work to fundraise for. There is no minimum fundraising pledge or aim.

If you choose to walk with us, it would be amazing to see everyone wearing something with the project branding on, both to raise more funds and to start conversations with people as we pass them. Have a look at our shop.

A small pile of rocks on a grassy background, like a miniature cairn. One side of the cairn is in sunlight, while the other is shadowed.

The rock formation known as The Trinnacle - three tall points of rock, with hills and a reservoir visible beyond. It looks like a sheer drop to the path below, although this is just a creative camera angle.

Considerations for Attending

You will be responsible for organising and funding your travel, accommodation, food and equipment.

You should be fit and ready for any challenge you choose to attend, and be wearing and carrying the correct kit and nutrition for the hike. I can't control the weather and we do live in the UK, so no matter the season, be ready for all eventualities.

If you choose to bring pets or children, they should also be fit enough to complete the walk and wearing the correct kit.

Everyone in attendance, human, canine or other, should be well-behaved; I don't want any dog fights or fallouts.

Any photos taken on the hikes may end up in the blog or on social media; if you don't want to be on social media, you need to let me know when the hike starts!

I am not qualified to guide or manage groups, so you need to be capable of managing yourself. However, my navigation is passable, so I'll forgive you for not bringing a sense of direction as long as you also forgive me for any temporary misplacements.

The Project's Aims

To fundraise for Cancer Research UK, supporting life-saving research
To honour those living with cancer, or who we have lost to cancer, or who are in remission; to celebrate their lives
To improve our own mental and physical health by getting outside and walking, appreciating our countryside and no longer putting off those bucket list items
To bring together people who have been affected by cancer, directly or indirectly, to form a community with a common goal

The project's mission is simply to hike and to fundraise. In many ways, that makes it very selfish; I get to indulge in my passions for hiking and for photography, and share that with others, in the name of fundraising. Does it get much better?

If you want to come along - do so. Donate or fundraise as much or as little as you choose, and walk in honour of someone who touched your life in one way or another. And, of course, walk for yourself.

Check out our social media pages for updates, and I hope to see you walking soon.

If you have always fancied a long-distance path, let us know - walk with us, for some or all of the coast-to-coast route or any of our other planned challenges, or suggest another for us to tackle together. Let's walk all over cancer. Let's raise awareness, and funds.

1 in 2 people in the UK born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. Breast, prostate, lung and bowel cancers together accounted for over half (53%) of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2016-2018 and for almost half (45%) of all cancer deaths in the UK in 2017-2019.

A landscape with a jagged rock formation in the foreground.

A side view of Pen-y-Ghent, one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, with some of the limestone in the foreground that the area is famous for.

Transparency

This project is not a registered charity or a company in its own right. This project is a labour of love (and if I'm being honest, some essay procrastination!).

That means there is no responsibility taken by the project for those who choose to attend, nor are there any definitive rules. So there is no comeback if you choose to attend, but choose not to donate, not to buy any clothing, and not to fundraise. It wouldn't be in the spirit of the project, but that is up to you.

This site's URL contains the "wixsite" branding, because I do not wish to minimise profits by paying for a premium site. Similarly, I have not integrated payments into the website to create a true webshop, because this costs, and I don't wish to spend more than necessary out of the project's funds.

I have opened a PayPal account and a Starling bank account which I will use to manage the project's finances, and take and make payments. I have also purchased a SumUp Air card reader. These accounts are in my name, because the project is not a registered company or charity, and therefore I cannot open them in the project's name. However, they are separate from my own finances and accounts, for clarity and transparency, so they can be audited to ensure profits from clothing and print sales are donated to Cancer Research UK, as advertised.

Profits*, not proceeds, will be donated to Cancer Research UK. I will make a donation to Cancer Research UK every winter via Work for Good (starting from early 2025) made up of the year's combined profits. No profit will be held indefinitely; however, up to £350 will be left in the bank account annually. That means profits minus up to £350 will be donated to Cancer Research UK annually, and what remains will be reinvested in items bought to sell.

The bank account was opened with a £350 float made up of my own savings, and this will not be donated, but returned to me when the project's profits are enough to allow this, as outlined above. I paid for the SumUp Air card reader and do not intend to claim this amount back from the project. The bank account will be emptied, and the full amount remaining donated to Cancer Research UK, when I choose to stop planning further hikes, and the project therefore folds. There would then be no reason to retain some profits for reinvestment.

The project will not pay for accommodation, meals, transport or equipment for the hikes, for myself or anyone else. The only costs to the project will be for: items which will then be sold, therefore producing a profit to be donated through Work For Good to Cancer Research UK; charges by PayPal, SumUp and Starling for receiving payments from customers (these should be minimal, with profit margins calculated to offset them); incidental costs such as for a stall on a market to sell prints, thereby increasing profits; and printing leaflets to advertise the hikes, thereby encouraging attendance and fundraising for Cancer Research UK and sales of clothing and prints.

*Prints, for example, will cost to produce, mount, package, and post. These costs will be recouped so the project can buy more of these items and sell them on, again at profit, and the cycle of donations can continue.

I won't be publishing the project's finances, as I expect much of the value will be in sponsorship and will therefore go directly to Cancer Research UK via Giving pages, bypassing me entirely. It is likely that sales of clothing and prints will bring in a small amount of profit at most and be donated via Work For Good. However, anyone who has cause for concern is welcome to request the finances; I am keeping a separate account for that reason.

This project will be a labour of love. I will take nothing out, except the £350 float I put in, if and when the project has a healthy enough bank balance to do so (or on its discontinuation). I will pay for the first set of leaflets and marketing items while the project is gaining momentum and holds no funds, and I will not claim this cost back. I will purchase a card reader for in-person sales, and will not claim this cost back. I will pay for my own accommodation and food and transport, just like anyone else attending a hike. Everything spent by the project, rather than by me, will be recorded and justified, and should produce a profit for donation.