A CHESTER man has raised more than £10,000 for charity by rejuvenating university friendships during the pandemic through a shared passion for keeping fit.

David Wilson, along with his university pals Nik Loveridge, Rory Steel, Martin McDermott, John Barlow and Paul Johnson, set up an online group to support and encourage one another during the lockdown.

Their shared loves of exercise evolved into the group becoming known as Last Mile Together with the aim of raising funds for Cancer Research UK.

They, as well as nearly 200 members who have joined the group, were given the challenge of logging as many miles as they can through running, walking, jogging, swimming or riding for 11 months of the year.

The group will then meet up on December 30 and walk the last mile together.

One of the reasons for supporting Cancer Research UK is due to David’s sister Kate McMahon currently undergoing treatment for Stage 4 lung cancer. He also has a close friend living with incurable brain cancer.

Over £10,000 has been raised so far through a range of activities including the solo 1km pavement plod to the synchronised collaboration of 100-plus members in a weekend long marathon.

David Wilson, co-founder of #lastmiletogether, said: “We never really had a master plan for this movement! We have all, at some point, unfortunately been dealt a rubbish hand from the dealer that is cancer.

"With this last one, it just felt right that we could and should do more to help - and this is what we came up with.

"We are immensely proud of what we have achieved in such a small period of time, but we sense that this is only the beginning. We would love to extend the invite to anyone and everyone in the UK, and even beyond, to join Last Mile Together the fight against cancer, which would give access to our Facebook and STRAVA groups, where we collectively log all our miles for the year.

"What we have recognised is that there can be extremely difficult challenges during these situations and having a network of people who are having similar experiences and who you can lean on really helps.

"On top of that, we are also hearing stories of how the physical activity itself is having beneficial impacts on mental health – and that’s really powerful.

"There is even a #lastmiletogether Spotify playlist – so we have you covered! On a more serious note, we would especially like to open that invite to anyone who feels like they have no-one.

"What we would say to them is that is no longer the case – we are here. We are going through similar experiences and we welcome you. Come walk with us, let’s do that #lastmiletogether."

Chris Doyle, relationship manager for Cancer Research UK in the North West, said: “#lastmiletogether has made a huge contribution to Cancer Research UK’s work already, and they only formed less than a year ago!

"We are incredibly grateful for the group’s support. I’d especially like to thank all their members for putting in all the hard work to rally that support, and especially David for being a driving force to bring so many people together.

"One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.

"However, Cancer Research UK has been hit hard by COVID-19. Almost every way we raise money to fund our research was impacted by the pandemic, with our shops temporarily closed, and events cancelled.

"We now have a clearer picture of the financial impact of COVID-19, and expect to see a reduction in our fundraising income of £250m over three years (2020-2023) compared with our pre-COVID budget.

“It is thanks to the dedication and commitment volunteers and supporters, like #lastmiletogether, that we are able to fund our life-saving research. They are an amazing example of how people can fundraise as a group in the modern world.

"At Cancer Research UK, we are incredibly lucky to have supporters who fundraise in a range of ways, from our traditional committees to our corporate sponsors.

"But this group of individuals prove that people can make a difference no matter where they are in the UK, as long as they are connected by a common thread."