BIRTHDAY celebrations come in many different forms, from weekends in Ibiza to a quiet meal with family and friends.

But one Swindon man will mark his 67th birthday next month with a charity walk to raise funds for Brighter Futures.

Ron Erwood, who lives in Taw Hill, is all set to trek 180 miles from the source of the Thames near Kemble to the Thames Barrier in Woolwich over the course of 12 days.

Ron will split the money he raises between Brighter Futures and Prospect Hospice, in memory of his wife Anne who died last August.

“I’m not really a big walker,” said Ron, who was born in London and has lived in Swindon for the past 10 years.

“I have done a bit in the past when we used to go on holiday, and when I lived in London there were always plenty of opportunities to walk to places – I’m not frightened of putting one foot in front of the other.”

For the first few nights, in order to avoid having to stay in expensive hotels, Ron will be driven home by members of his family who will then drive him back the following morning where he can continue his walk.

“We thought this would be a good way of saving on unnecessary admin costs,” said Ron.

Explaining why he decided to raise funds for two popular local charities, Ron said: “I wanted to do something significant, but a man of my age can’t really go up Kilimanjaro or somewhere like that.

“I thought about what I could reasonably do that won’t be climbing a lot of hills. I have always had an affinity with the Thames and I thought this would be something I could really enjoy.

“We have to get a radiotherapy centre in Swindon, it’s so important. The town is growing all the time and we can’t have people travelling all the way to Oxford every day for treatment.”

Ron also pointed out that anybody could find themselves needing treatment at some point in the future and it would be a blessing to have radiotherapy readily available in Swindon.

“I’m really looking forward to the walk,” he said.

“I expect the final 10 miles or so will be quite difficult, but I will be meeting up with my family afterwards and enjoying a big birthday meal.”

The walk will take place between Wednesday, June 14 and Sunday, June 25, his 67th birthday. We wish him the best of luck.

So far £1,539,135 has been raised for Brighter Futures. The team is very grateful for every single donation and wish to thank everyone for their support.

To donate you can send cut out and send in the attached form or log on to: www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk.