Prostate Cancer 'March the Month'

Rotarian and President Elect Carole Owczarek of Calverley Rotary Club and her husband John signed up for the ‘March the Month’ Prostate Cancer Research Challenge with the aim of raising £500 for Prostate Cancer Research and treatment. They decided to participate in the challenge to commemorate fellow Rotarians and friends who had lost their battle to this disease, and to help support those who are currently receiving treatment. The challenge was to walk 11,000 steps (the equivalent of 5 miles) per day for the 31 days in March; the 11,000 steps was chosen to represent the number of men who die from Prostate Cancer each year.

The Pair decided to make the challenge harder by completing a specific ‘Prostate Cancer walk’ each day which they could share daily on Facebook to help raise the profile of Prostate Cancer, rather than simply count their normal daily step total, and managed to fit the 2-hour walks into their existing plans throughout the month. The walks included places such as Beamish Museum in County Durham, The Teesdale Way, The Dales Way, Leeds City Centre, the Shropshire hills, Bamburgh and Holy Island in Northumberland. During the month the pair were joined on some of their walks by Rotarians from Calverley Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Consett.

Despite the heavy rain and mud encountered throughout March Carole and John said that they enjoyed the challenge and got to see a wide variety of wildlife on their early morning walks. The pair surpassed the expected challenge total, by the end of the month walking an impressive 492,471 steps, a total of 224 miles over the 31 days, raising £560 for Prostate Cancer Research.  The pair are currently deciding what will be their next fundraising challenge!