A team of eight men and one woman will soon reach the Gwynedd leg of Prostate Cymru’s Walk of Wales, and the charity is inviting local people to walk with them.

As part of the 1,012-mile, 44-day gruelling feat to raise awareness and vital funds, the group will walk from Aberdaron to Pwllheli on Sunday, 19 July.

The team set out from Cardiff on 27 June and are walking the full circumference of Wales and are expected to return to the Welsh capital on 9 August. It means they are walking around 23 miles every day. Every penny raised will be invested into funding six specialist NHS nurses to help improve outcomes for men in Wales.

And as they near Gwynedd, locals are invited to walk the 8.6-mile stretch from Aberdaron to Pwllheli to raise funds to help meet the £300,000 target.

Andy Thomas, Chair of Prostate Cymru and a recently retired consultant urologist, is leading the challenge. He said: “With each step, we want to raise awareness, inspire men to get tested, and fund vital support for families affected by this disease. We’re aiming to fund six specialist cancer nurses so we can improve patient outcomes and enhance the quality of life for men and their families across the nation.

“We’d love to see a big Gwynedd turn out as we walk from Aberdaron to Pwllheli. Sign up, and you can do your bit to help those with prostate disease in Wales.”

Gwynedd councillor Louise Hughes is passionate about raising awareness of prostate cancer after her husband, Gwyn was diagnosed with it last winter.

The ‘Cambrian News’ featured the couple last week, highlighting their call for better access to PSA blood tests after Louise discovered Tywyn Health Centre only offers the test after a GP appointment.

Commenting on the walk this week, Louise said: “We need to do more to encourage and educate men to get tested. Gwyn had no symptoms and, as a farmer, was pretty reluctant to go to the doctors. In fact, his only symptom was a nagging wife. Prostate Cymru’s Walk of Wales will hopefully not only raise vital funds to improve services in Wales but also alert more men and their families to the risks of prostate cancer.”

The funding into the NHS will mean that men facing prostate disease get personalised support and expert care close to home.

As the team navigate the 44-day challenge, awareness talks and PSA testing events are being hosted along the way.  The charity will also be at Anglesey County Show in August to make more people aware of the risks of prostate cancer.

Throwing their weight behind the massive fundraiser are a number of rugby players including Alex Cuthbert, Rhys Priestland, Lloyd Williams, Ellis Jenkins and Josh Navidi who are all due to walk the final leg from Rodney Parade to Principality Stadium on 9 August.

To sign up for the walk, please visit the Prostate Cymru website or email [email protected].