Like so many others, a cancer diagnosis led Peter Mainwaring to undertake the gruelling trek to and from Oxford for radiotherapy. As if he hadn’t had enough of the journey, he decided to gather together friends and family to walk it in aid of the Brighter Futures campaign, which aims to create a radiotherapy unit at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital. He tells DENISE BARKLEY why

CANCER patient Peter Mainwaring took an intensive programme of radiotherapy treatment in his stride —and then put on his walking boots and completed a poignant 30-mile hike.

Accompanied by his son, daughter, brother and three friends, 65-year-old Peter made the marathon trek from Oxford’s Churchill Hospital to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, symbolising the journey he and other cancer sufferers have to make for radiotherapy treatment.

The ‘magnificent seven’ are over the moon to have raised £8,500 towards the £2.9m Brighter Futures appeal to fund a radiotherapy unit at the Great Western Hospital which, when built, will mean cancer patients won’t have to make the long journey to Oxford. The appeal total currently stands at £1.5m.

“To raise £8,500 is amazing and completely eclipses anything I ever dreamed of – I can’t thank everyone enough,” grandfather-of-four Peter enthused.

“Thirty miles is a long way to walk, and it was really hard – much harder than some of us expected – but no one gave up. We were all hurting, but we were determined to finish.

“We all had loads of blisters and I could hardly walk for a few days afterwards, but it was worth it!”

It was an extraordinary achievement for Vodaphone computer networking engineer Peter, from Coleview, Swindon, who had completed a gruelling eight-week schedule of 37 radiotherapy treatments at the Churchill Hospital on New Year’s Day, following prostate cancer surgery.

“I made the journey from Swindon to Oxford five days a week, from Thursday to Monday, and I reckon I clocked up 2,500 miles there and back over the eight weeks,” said Peter.

“I was really lucky to be able to claim from my private medical insurance and it covered my travelling expenses,” he said. “Parking at the Churchill is as bad as at GWH, but at least they give radiotherapy patients a parking pass.

“However, without my medical insurance, the petrol costs would have been substantial.

“I chatted to so many people in the radiotherapy waiting room at Oxford who came from all over Wiltshire – Swindon, Marlborough, Calne, Wootton Bassett and Cricklade – and everyone said that having radiotherapy at the Great Western would save them so much money, time and stress. It’s essential.”

The good news is that, following radiotherapy and hormone treatments, Peter’s blood tests are now coming back all clear. He said he had been “fairly philosophical” when prostate cancer was diagnosed in early 2015, and it wasn’t his first brush with cancer.

“In 2000 I had a malignant mole removed,” he explained. “We as a family were already aware of cancer risks, especially skin cancer, as my brother died in 2001 from malignant melanoma and he was only in his early forties.”

There was no recurrence of skin cancer, but at the end of 2014 Peter noticed some urination changes. A Prostate-Specific Antigen, PSA test came back higher than average and, after further tests, scans and biopsies, prostate cancer was diagnosed. He had surgery to remove the prostate in June 2015 and all went well until the beginning of 2016 when the PSA count started rising again.

“The standard CT and bone scans didn’t show anything but, luckily, I was eligible for a diagnostic trial, called the Falcon trial, which was being run at the Churchill hospital,” Peter revealed. “This showed that I had two small tumours in the area that the prostate had been – so I was very glad I had gone on the trial. My attitude is to take things as they come and deal with it.”

Peter was put on an intensive programme of radiotherapy, driving up and down the A420 from Swindon to Oxford five days-a-week, usually accompanied by his wife, Monica, 68.

“There are six radiotherapy machines at the Churchill and they are on the go all day every weekday and some run on Saturday and Sunday mornings as well,” said Peter.

“Monica came with me, in case I felt unwell afterwards, but I didn’t and was able to drive myself there and back.

“The treatment itself only took about 10 minutes but I had to allow at least an hour to get from Swindon to Oxford and then the pre-radiotherapy procedures could take another hour, and sometimes there were delays, so it took a lot of time.

“Luckily I was able to go to work on the mornings of my treatment days, so I didn’t need time off work.”

Peter is passionate that cancer patients should not have to go through the extra expense and stress of travelling to Oxford for their radiotherapy treatments and was inspired to boost the Brighter Futures appeal. He decided that a sponsored walk was the perfect fundraiser.

“I used to do some long walks when I was younger – 42 miles across the North Yorkshire moors, 37 miles of the Ridgeway and 30 miles of the Kennet and Avon canal – and I still go on an annual walking weekend with people I used to work with at WH Smith; last year we did the Isle of Wight and this year it is Derbyshire,” he said.

“I thought it would be pertinent and symbolic to walk from the Churchill to the Great Western Hospital, and my family got on board and I started planning it out.”

Peter was joined on the marathon walk by his son Neil Mainwaring, 34, daughter Kate Mularczyk, 33, brother Steve Mainwaring, and three friends - Steve and Emma Trimby and Phil Roussell.

Peter added: “I knew the walk would be hard and we did a few practice walks, starting with eight miles, then eleven, then fifteen – by that point we all knew that this was going to be a big challenge!”

On April 1, Peter and his intrepid band of walkers set off from the Churchill for the 30-mile hike to the Great Western. He worked out a route through the countryside on the back roads away from the A420, stopping for lunch and a rest stop at Shellingford village hall. They left at 7.05am and reached their destination at 7.15pm where they were greeted by banner-waving supporters.

“It took about 12 hours, including rest stops, and that’s what I anticipated,” said Peter. “It was a brilliant achievement and I am so grateful to everyone who sponsored us.”

A few weeks ago the magnificent seven plus their loyal supporters met up at a barbecue to celebrate.

“We did discuss whether we should do it again next year,” Peter grinned. “Some aren’t up for it, but it’s a definite possibility for the rest of us, and we could open it up to more people next time.”

For more information about Brighter Futures log on to: brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk. To keep up to date with the campaign’s progress, see the Swindon Advertiser every Thursday.