A CARNOCK man who lost his wife to a brain tumour is taking on a virtual walk of nearly 1,700 miles for charity.

Andy Chalmers will be walking from John o' Groats to Lands' End and back to support the the Brain Tumour Charity (BTC).

The 46-year-old will go the distance between Thursday, October 9 and the same date next year, the anniversary of wife Suez’s death in 2018.

At the halfway stage, April 9, he will also be walking from dawn to dusk along the Fife Coastal Path, trying to cover as many miles as possible in the 14-hour slot.

"I feel nervous, excited and daunted about the challenge ahead," he said.

"I have been planning it for a while so it’s great to start counting the steps and miles towards my target.

"I have had so many messages of support from friends and family as well as complete strangers on social media too which is amazing and definitely helping to inspire and motivate me.”

Due to the pandemic preventing the route from being walked directly, Andy will be clocking up the miles around Carnock; walking an average of five miles every single day throughout the year.

Andy is doing so to support BTC, which is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.

Andy and Suez first heard about the charity in 2018 and were involved in fundraising initiatives including a Loony Dook in the North Sea at St Andrews for Suez’s sister’s 40th birthday.

In 2019, Andy’s work, Aegon, where Suez also worked for more than 25 years, voted for BTC as their Charity of the Year.

He also ran his own fundraising walk last year in Dunfermline as part of the charity’s flagship event, the Twilight Walk.

In total, Andy has helped to raise more than £30,000 for the charity so far.

He stated: "The charity has provided a focus at various points which has been really helpful and also they have always been so understanding and empathetic when I have spoken to the team.

"It is such a boost to know that I am, in some small way, helping the charity to find new treatments, and eventually a cure."

Andy and Suez first met in 2001 when they worked together.

She was diagnosed with a Grade 2 anaplastic astrocytoma the following year and she had surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

However, it wasn’t until 2007 that they became a couple and, within a few short months, they were engaged and then married in May 2009.

However, just months before their wedding date, a regular scan showed that Suez’s tumour had grown.

The surgery which followed revealed that the tumour had mutated to a Grade 4 glioblastoma and more treatment followed.

In the years following, Suez and Andy made the most of their time together, including a round-the-world trip.

However, in early 2018, Suez’s condition worsened and, despite more surgery and radiotherapy, she died in October that year.

Andy said: “It felt like our whole world had fallen apart when we found out about the glioblastoma in 2008, especially when we had just begun to plan our future together.

"We had no idea what Suez’s life expectancy would be – so we decided not to try for kids, which is something which Suez never really got over.

"Suez never let her diagnosis rule her life – her approach was always that we looked forward together.

"We supported each other as much as we could. She would do anything for her family and her close friends – there was nothing and no-one more important to her than them.

"Most of all, I miss our weekends away when we would just potter about, have some drinks and savoury snacks and people-watch.

"We were at our happiest exploring new places and finding bargain places to stay.”

Andy said it has been a slow process adapting to living alone again and to concentrate on things like work.

The milestones, such as birthdays and anniversaries, are consistently tricky, which is why is he marking the anniversary of Suez’s death as the start and end points for his walking challenge to give a positive focus to what will always be a sad day.

He added: “A brain tumour is such a complex cancer to try and understand. No grading is really safe.

"We need more awareness, early diagnosis and effective treatments as this could give people a better chance of something positive happening for them.

"A cure really would be the dream scenario, of course.”

To make a contribution, visit Andy's donation page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ntosanddtod