A Darwen man, who walked almost 40 miles to enjoy a well-earned ‘chippy tea’, has raised £2,376 to help people affected by cancer.

Dan West, an infrastructure co-ordinator at Perspex International in the town, hiked 38.2 miles from his hometown to his favourite chip shop in the seaside town of Thornton-Cleveleys to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The 47-year-old was joined on the trek by friend, and fellow keen walker and online Scrabble player, Lisa Buist, from Stevenage, and also by his son Jack and his girlfriend, Rachel, who both followed in the support car.

Lancashire Telegraph: Dan with fellow walker, and friend, Lisa Buist by his favourite chippy, Cleveleys Kitchen.Dan with fellow walker, and friend, Lisa Buist by his favourite chippy, Cleveleys Kitchen.

The plucky pair set off at 5.30am and it took them 12 hours to complete their long-distance walk, before they could tuck into their much-deserved teatime treat – a Moby Dick and chips!

Dan, who has fundraised for Macmillan for around 10 years, said: “I’ve had a lot of close family and friends affected by cancer and I know all about the devastation a diagnosis can cause.

"I have also witnessed how Macmillan have been there to support people when they need it most, and the difference they can make, so I wanted to give something back and try and raise as much money as I can so they can support other families.”

The dad-of-three has been a regular visitor to Cleveleys since he was a youngster.

His dad’s ashes were spread on the prom, and it’s also where his favourite chippy – Cleveleys Kitchen – is based, so it was an obvious choice for the fundraising walk.

Dan, who has previously run the Manchester Marathon for Macmillan, added: “It took several weeks to plan but we were fortunate with the weather on the day, which was dry but chilly.

"It was an extremely long and tiring day, and my right leg became really sore during the hike, but I pushed through the pain barrier to finish the walk.

"Although it wasn’t until a few days later that I had an x-ray, which revealed I’d actually completed the walk with a hairline fracture of my tibia!

Lancashire Telegraph: Dan with fellow walker, and friend, Lisa Buist outside Blackpool Tower Dan with fellow walker, and friend, Lisa Buist outside Blackpool Tower

“But it was an awesome day, and there was a spectacular sunset over the sea which spurred us over the finish line, which it made it all so worthwhile and especially to raise so much for such a fantastic cause.

"In fact, I’m already thinking of my next Macmillan fundraiser for 2023!”

Anyone affected by cancer can contact Macmillan’s national support line on 0808 808 00 00.