Sunderland AFC will be supporting Jeff Stelling’s ‘March for Men’, as the long-standing Soccer Saturday presenter aims to raise £500,000 for Prostate Cancer UK by walking 15 marathons in 15 days.
Beginning on Thursday 2 June in Exeter, Stelling will visit more than 40 football clubs, heading up through the west of England via Bristol and Stoke before passing through Merseyside and Manchester.
That final day will include a visit to Wearside with a stop at the Stadium of Light where Stelling is expected to be accompanied by former Sunderland AFC players and other well-known Sunderland supporters.
Ahead of the event, Stelling said: “After the agony and ecstasy of the walk last year, particularly the agony, so many people have been in touch with stories of their battle against prostate cancer and so many people wanted to say thank you to me, to Russ Green, and to Prostate Cancer UK for their support.
“It makes me feel very humble but it also makes me feel very gratified that I’m in position where I can do something. Prostate Cancer kills one man ever hour in the UK, and I just decided I couldn’t sit on my backside and do nothing about it. I can put one foot in front of the next and hopefully raise awareness and raise funds to help men beat this diabolical disease.”
The mega event is part of Prostate Cancer UK’s wider walking programme, March for Men, which includes a trio of Local Walks across Father’s Day weekend, in London on June 17th and Leeds and Glasgow 24 hours later. The charity will also be encouraging supporters to hold their own marches to try and raise £1 million through walking in 2017.
172 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in Sunderland and the money raised will have a huge impact on the lives of those affected by the disease and will help bring us one step closer to stopping prostate cancer being a killer.
If you want to support Jeff’s walk to the Stadium of Light, or any other part of the march, or to find out more about his challenge, visit www.prostatecanceruk.org/jeffsmarch.
