Father walks around all the London football clubs for charity

A MAN recovering from cancer walked around every professional football stadium in London to raise money for charity.

Simon Cowlard, 48, of Westfield Road, Benson, was joined by eight friends for the 66-mile journey which took three days.

He raised money for Myeloma UK, as he is in remission after treatment for blood cancer two years ago.

Mr Cowlard, who coaches Benson United FC’s under-12s team, came up with the idea for the walk with the help of his friends James Gesner, Andrew Winton, Danny Morgan, Arron and Brett Baker, John Birtwistle and Duncan Mitchell.

He said: “Two years ago I was diagnosed with myeloma – a huge shock to me, my family and friends.

“Multiple myeloma, also called myeloma, is a form of bone marrow cancer that often affects multiple parts of the body, such as the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs.

“I had 24 weeks of chemotherapy and a brutal stem cell transplant, which included 12 nights in hospital, including one night in intensive care. I came home very weak, had lost 2 stone and was completely bald.

“Two years later I am in remission and there are no active cells left in my body.

“My response was to help the charity raise awareness and much-needed funds for research and new treatments.”

He organised a children’s football tournament in Benson which attracted almost 200 players and a celebrity football match in Macclesfield featuring actors from the TV soap Oak trees against former professional players.

Mr Cowlard, a sales manager, said: “Through these three different events over six months I was able to raise £26,500. The support and help from family and friends has been incredible.

“All my friends have been good friends for 20 or 30 years and we all play football together. When I came up with the idea of ​​the stadium walk, I was in James’ garden.”

He sent messages to his other friends asking them to join the challenge, which took place from June 26 to 28.

They started at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London and finished at Wembley Stadium, visiting different clubs each day and staying in hotels and bed and breakfasts each night.

On the first day they went to Arsenal, Leyton Orient and West Ham.

Mr Cowlard said: “It was really hot, around 29C and we were walking on concrete the whole time. We had to make sure we took in lots of water. We only stopped for lunch because the schedule was so tight.”

The next day they visited Charlton, Millwall, Crystal Palace and Wimbledon.

“Millwall were really helpful — they gave us shortbread and Lucozade and a ball,” Mr Cowlard said. “Wimbledon were really good too, as they took us into a changing room. They also opened the bar for us and there’s a pool table. It was the perfect way to end the day.”

On the third day, the friends walked to Chelsea, Fulham, Brentford, Queens Park Rangers and finally Wembley. They were joined by his son Oscar, 12, and father Barry, at QPR’s Loftus Road ground and were shown the director’s box.

Mr Cowlard said: “Oscar loved it and his school were great about letting him have an afternoon off.

“It was amazing to walk with him on the last part of the walk. It was brilliant and quite emotional for me.

“We finished at Wembley and then went to the Crown Inn in Benson who put on a BBQ for us. It was a fantastic way to finish.

“It was three incredible days with a really nice group of guests and fantastic banter.

“Thanks to Gift Aid we raised over £10,000 so I’m really pleased.

“My next goal is to break £40,000 and the guys who are going on the trip are already messaging me asking what’s next and they want to do it again.

“The only hard work was organising the trip. I had to call all the clubs to ask if they would let us in and then plan the trip and arrange the accommodation.

“A few of us had done some training beforehand, but the most we did was about 10 miles.”

To make a donation, visit https://tinyurl.com/stadiumwalk