Loving son Andrew Fletcher has vowed to run 76 half marathons in just 12 months in honour of his father who died of lung cancer.
Clive Fletcher passed away in September last year aged 75 and Andrew, a keen amateur runner, decided on the epic challenge both to commemorate his dad and raise cash for the Northumberland hospice that cared for him towards the end of his life.
He explained: "Although I have been a keen runner since 2018, he never had the opportunity to watch me run.
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"He had wanted to attend the 40th Anniversary of the Great North Run in September to support me, however, he unfortunately passed away six days before the event. I ran the race in his memory."
Andrew, 29, said after falling at home in Alnwick, Northumberland, on June 17, his dad was at doctor the following day and it was discovered he had swollen lymph nodes.
The following week, three sets of blood tests were taken and he was referred for a CAT scan.
On July 4, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. An appointment with a medical specialist followed, and it was then that he was given two months to live.
Andrew said the last two months of his life were riddled with pain, and he passed away at home on September 6, 2021.
"I will also be fundraising for the North Northumberland Hospice, a charity that were excellent in providing support for myself, my family and my father in his final days and weeks," he said.
"My father and our family were keen supporters of HospiceCare North Northumberland, and the service they provide in our local community.
"Our family have previously been involved in fundraising efforts for the charity, including a charity concert at the Alnwick Playhouse in April 2004, fundraising £672 on the evening for the charity.
"In the final weeks and months of my father's life, HospiceCare North Northumberland provided end-of-life care and support for my father and our family.
"I therefore feel it is important to give back to the charity, and to raise awareness of the care they provide."
He revealed his dad was quite a character. In the 1960s Clive was a squad member of the GB and Ireland Walker Cup team - amateur golf's version of the Ryder Cup.
He also taught himself the drums, his talent seeing him tour North East clubs and on occasion stand in on drums for the Kinks when they were on tour in the region. He even qualified for a private pilot's licence.
Andrew said: "I asked him once how he achieved so much in his life. He said he just put his mind to it and worked hard.
"He was very strong willed and determined and I hope to bring some of that to my challenge."
Andrew was born in in Gateshead then moved to Alnwick in the late 1990s with his dad and mum Gilli. He recently moved to Essex where he lives with partner Catherine.
"I'm back in the North East nearly every week just to check things are OK," he said.
He hopes to raise a minimum of £1,000 for the HospiceCare of North Northumberland with his "76 Half's for 76 Years" Challenge.
"I will be aiming to run the 76 half marathons, each to commemorate a year of my dads life, in what would have been his 76th year," he said.
The challenge will include a mixture licensed races and a series of training runs. Each race will be Half Marathon distance (13.1 miles/21km).
This weekend he should have completed his third. He hopes to complete the challenge by midnight on December 31, 2022.
To donate and support Andrew's fundraising challenge, go to his JustGiving page
