An incredible fundraising walk around the entire 200-mile GM Ringway in just 15 days has helped to raise over £20,000 for vital research into ovarian cancer. The Ova The Hills charity hike saw a team of ten walkers, drawn from across all parts of Greater Manchester, take on the challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

The effort – which was mentioned in Parliament by Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove – was undertaken by the group in memory of their friend, Jen Jackson, who sadly passed from ovarian cancer last year.

The core walking group – which had an average age of 67 – were joined by family and friends along the way.

Among the participants were former Manchester City striker, Jon Macken, manager of non-league outfit Stalybridge Celtic – where Jen’s husband Phil Jackson is goalkeeping coach – while neighbouring Curzon Ashton FC’s director, Syd White, provided a club minibus to help transport walkers between stages.

Phil Jackson said: “I never imagined when I first thought of doing an event to raise money and mark Jen’s passing that it would turn out to be so successful and become as lifechanging for everyone who took part.

“There are far too many people to thank for making this Ova The Hills adventure the triumph it became. To me, whether you walked one mile or the whole 200, you played your part.

 “The total is beyond my wildest dreams, and is still going up. I think what we were doing just resonated with so many people. Some started the walk as strangers but will now probably be friends for life because of what we all went through.”

The Ova The Hills fundraising effort, which raised over twice as much as the original target, also enjoyed the support of local businesses along the route.

For example, staff at the Old Mill Hotel in Ramsbottom – where the group stayed for a night during the challenge – donated their evening’s tips, in addition to making a formal donation, while a nearby restaurant also contributed.

And to help underline how important charity efforts like Ova The Hills is to CRUK, Phil and his daughter Kat were recently invited to CRUK’s labs in Manchester to see for themselves the kind of ground breaking research the Ove The Hills fundraising will help to support.

You can find out more about the background to Ova The Hills campaign on the BBC website here, and read about the walk itself on the Bury Times website here.

You can also donate to Ova The Hills’ Cancer Research UK fund here