WALKING from Kendal to Milton Keynes might sound like utter madness but a local man will be doing just that in memory of a colleague.

Shane Tickell, 43, plans to ‘walk to work’ from his home in Cumbria to his office in Buckinghamshire to raise awareness of the early signs of cancer — as well as money for South Lakes charity, CancerCare — to celebrate the life of bowel cancer victim Mike Haynes.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m no athlete, but we recently lost a good man in Mike,” explained dad-of-four, Mr Tickell, 43.

“On top of that I lost my father, many uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours to this dreadful disease. I have been inspired and humbled by all of them in the bravery and courage they showed.

“I started training at Christmas, so have been doing this in all weathers, with one minor case of hypothermia and lots of blisters and aches. But what keeps me motivated is the courage and bravery of all these people — my small endeavour pales in comparison with the journey of someone with cancer.”

Mr Tickell will complete the 212 mile walk over eight days, which is the equivalent of a marathon a day.

Currently CEO at IMS Maxims, a company which develops clinical software for healthcare providers, he worked with Mr Haynes when they developed an IT programme for CancerCare, which has centres in Kendal and Lancaster. The charity cares for cancer sufferers and their families.

Mr Haynes was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April last year and lost his battle with the disease in December, aged 65.

“Mike’s death was so shocking because he always looked after himself,” continued Mr Tickell.

“He ate healthily and was always really active out running or walking. He was also planning to travel the world with his partner but he never got the chance.”

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Mr Tickell will begin the walk on May 16, with support from friend Angela White, from Barrows Green.

Money raised will be split between CancerCare and Cancer Research UK.

To donate please www.ims foundation.co.uk, or to follow the progress of the walk, search for @BigWalk ToWork on Twitter.

For advice on spotting the early signs of cancer visit www.nhs.uk/be-clear-on-cancer.