Hello & Welcome!

...to our charity walk fundraiser website

Hi, I'm Dave and I completed an epic charity walk for 3 days over 45 miles with some incredible people. We walked from my house in Taunton to Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre on Saturday 28th September '24 to Monday 30th September '24.

With your help, we're hoping to raise as much as we can for Cancer Research UK. I also personally donated £1,500 to Friends of Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre at the end of the walk, the charity of the hospital where I had my cancer treatment.

Please continue to give what you can to support my fundraising for these two amazing causes.

Here's how you can get involved;

Click 'Follow Us On Facebook' to visit our Facebook page & stay up to date
Click 'Donate' to visit my Cancer Research UK Giving Page & donate from just £2
Click the poster image to download it and share it with everyone you know

Read on for more info about 'The Westlake Walk'. To get in touch, you can email us on info@thewestlakewalk.uk - we'd love to hear from you! Thanks for your support!

Dave Westlake

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Official 'The Westlake Walk' Fundraising Poster

WE DID IT! 'The Westlake Walk' event is now complete... Donate today!

Miles

Days

19+

Hours of walking

£5,564.34

Raised so far

'The Westlake Walk' Daily Blog

An end of day blog for the highlights of the days charity walk...

Day 1 - Saturday 28th September

Wow - What an amazing first day of the walk! The weather was pretty good and I think we all did quite well. We had a great start event in Taunton with loads of support from friends, family, and neighbours who came out to see us off. We also had the pleasure of Vicki from Cancer Research UK come to the start too!

A HUGE thanks to Claire Gregory for joining us on Day 1 of the walk from Taunton to North Bridgwater as our Special Guest, also walking to raise awareness for Breast cancer. We are really grateful for all the support you have given us and the inspiration of having special guests on each day of our walk, representing other types of cancers.

Thanks SO much to everyone for all of your incredible support, comments, reactions, & donations. We're very grateful and it was nice to have so many well wishers speak to us along the route, with a few stopping in their cars to donate!

Our feet are not too sore but we all had a few aches. Hopefully we'll shake them off tonight ready to go again tomorrow for Day 2 - North Bridgwater to Sidcot.

We took lots of pictures, and some videos, so here's some for you to look at. Please check back tomorrow for another blog update.

Day 2 - Sunday 29th September

Another great day of the walk. The weather wasn't as good today, with a little bit of rain and quite a bit of wind, but we made it to Sidcot and we're now 2/3rds of the way to Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre for the finish.

A MASSIVE thanks to Simon Hiscock for joining us on Day 2 of the walk from North Bridgwater to Sidcot as our Special Guest, also walking to raise awareness for 'CLL' (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia). We are really grateful.

We've had more donations on my giving page today, which is amazing, and also from passers by too. People have been really generous which is great! Am not going to lie, the feet are pretty sore now and the legs are feeling quite achy. Tomorrow is the furthest distance of the 3 days so it will be the hardest day too but also the most rewarding as every step is one step closer to the end.

Here's some pictures and videos for you to look at from today's walk. Please don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our last blog update from Day 3 of The Westlake Walk.

Thanks as always for your support. Here’s to Day 3 and reaching that finish line!

Day 3 - Monday 30th September

WE DID IT! What a great final day of the walk and SO rewarding. We made it from Taunton to Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, walking over 19 hours, 45 miles, and 3 days. So proud and such an epic achievement for us all!

A HUMUNGOUS thanks to Kyke Brown for joining us on Day 3 of the walk from Sidcot to Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre as our Special Guest, also walking to raise awareness for Testicular cancer. We’re so grateful you could walk with us to raise more awareness, and for all of your support.

The weather kindly held out for us on Day 3 with a bit of misty rain at the start (which was actually quite nice), then overcast and wet in the middle section, and even sun coming out as we made it into Bristol for the finish.

This event was such a great life experience for me and I couldn't have done it without the amazing support… from Cheryl, Mark, Si, Alix & Rach in my walking team, to my organisers Tam, Simon, Sara & Yvonne, to generous passers-by, everyone who has kindly donated, all the motivating messages, comments, and post reactions, and the 2 incredible charities CRUK and Friends of BHOC.

Thanks to everyone for following our journey. Here's some final day pics and videos for you.

“Strength Grows in the moments when you think you can't go on but you keep going anyway.”

Charity Walk Route

Take a look below at the route for each of the three days...

Day 1:

Saturday 28th September 2024

~ Taunton to Bridgwater North ~

Start: 10.00am - Trinity Rd, TA1 3JJ
Finish: 3.00pm - Bridgwater North
12.1 miles / 19.5 km
Approx. 5 hrs

Our route began in Trinity Road, Taunton and went along Hamilton Road over to Monkton Heathfield. It then passed by Procktors Farm and headed out towards West Monkton, through Thurloxton and onto North Petherton. At North Pertherton, the route joined the main road by the shop and tracked the main road all the way through Bridgwater to finish at Bridgwater North. Terrain consisted of hill ascents out of Taunton then decended into North Petherton. Flat in Bridgwater.

Day 2:

Sunday 29th September 2024

~ Bridgwater North to Bristol Sidcot ~

Start: 9.00am - Bridgwater North
Finish: 3.00pm - Bristol Sidcot
15.7 miles / 25.2 km
Approx. 6 hrs

Route started at Bridgwater North and kept to the main road out of Bridgwater. Once through Highbridge, the route passed Burnham-On-Sea by the motorway junction and on past Brent Knoll. Route took a slight detour north of Brent House to East Brent turning East before rejoining the A38. The route then tracked the A38, through Cross, and all the way to the finish at Bristol Sidcot. Terrain was flat coming out of Bridgwater & for most of the route, but ascended as you approached Bristol Sidcot.

Day 3:

Monday 30th September 2024

~ Bristol Sidcot to Bristol ~

Start: 8.30am - Bristol Sidcot
Finish: 4.30pm - BHOC, BS2 8ED
17.5 miles / 28.1 km
Approx. 8 hrs

Route left Bristol Sidcot on A38 before heading through Langford and Wrington, then on towards Winford. It turned North and passed through Felton before rejoining the A38. Route tracked the A38 into Bristol, through Bedminster, crossing the River Avon, towards the waterfront. Route passed the Hippodrome and headed on to the hospital. Route finished at the Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre (BHOC). Terrain ascended toward Bristol Airport then generally descended as we headed into Bristol.

Our arrival plan for each of the three days...

Key: | Blue Line - Our walk route and approach | Yellow Star - Where at each site we finished |

Day 1

Saturday 28th September 2024

Location: Bridgwater North, TA6 4RR

What 3 Words: rant.trap.hazlenuts

Arrival Time: 3.00pm (approx.)

Notes: We arrived via the A38 Bristol road, walking through 'The Exchange' car park, before reaching the car park at the rear of the hotel for the finish.

Day 2

Sunday 29th September 2024

Location: Bristol Sidcot, BS25 1NN

What 3 Words: pulsing.corporate.troll

Arrival Time: 3.00pm (approx.)

Notes: We arrived via the A38 Bridgwater Road and turned in towards the hotel. We walked up the hill of the car park at the hotel for the finish.

Day 3

Monday 30th September 2024

Location: BHOC, BS2 8ED

What 3 Words: wake.dizzy.poems

Arrival Time: 4.30pm (approx.)

Notes: We arrived via Horfield Road, heading up the hill to the BHOC hospital. We met as you exit the car park of the hospital for the finish.

My Support Team

Let me introduce you to my incredible support team, and amazing additional supporters, that helped me complete the charity walk... I honestly couldn't have done this without them!

Dave

Charity Walk Organiser

That's me! I decided I wanted to set up the fundraiser to give something back to two amazing charities. It also gave me something to focus on during my cancer treatment.

Cheryl

Trainer and Mentor

She is physically fit and good at motivating me to keep going. She has helped me train lots already and was on hand during the walk as a backup first aider if needed.

Mark

Support Vehicle Driver

His role was to ensure we kept hydrated and 'snacked-up' whilst out on the walk. He also monitored our progress and ensured we safely stayed on route.

Simon

Walking Support

His role was to accompany me along the route and help motivate me to keep going when I may have needed it. He role was also to keep me company and ensure I stopped often.

Alix

Walking Support

Her role was to accompany me along the route and help motivate me to keep going when I may have needed it. He role was also to keep me company and ensure I stopped often.

Rach

First Aider / Walking Support

Her role was to monitor my health and ensure I didn't 'over-do it'. She also ensured I rested often, stayed hydrated, and kept me monitored before, during, and after the walk.

Tammy

Event Manager

She organised, ran and managed the charity walk 'Start' event. She also arranged the arrival party on each of the 3 days.

Simon & Sara

Transport & Comms.

They helped ensure we were able to get home after the walk and stated in contact with us for accurate arrival times on each day.

Yvonne

Childcare & Doggycare

She ensured my kids and doggy were looked after during the charity walk. She also helped provide other support we needed.

The Cancer Charities

My fundraiser is raising money for two incredible charities. 'Cancer Research UK' and also 'Friends of Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre'. Please click on their charity logos below to find out more about each charity...

Cancer Research UK

The world's leading independent cancer charity is dedicated to saving lives through research, influence and information.

Our Special Guests

Introducing our special guests who joined us on particular days of the charity walk. Each guest has been affected by cancer too and wanted to help us raise further cancer awareness as they took part in our epic event!

Day 1 - Claire

Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

Claire was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2018 at the age of 32. Claire underwent 9 months of treatment, which included chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and several operations. Claire continues to have monthly injections and daily tablets for prevention. Claire is an advocate to this day of women & men checking their boobs regularly and says, "It just goes to show no matter what age you are, CHECK, CHECK & CHECK again, it could save your life!".

Thanks Claire. We're so pleased you could join us on Day 1 from Taunton to Bridgwater North as our special guest!

To find out more information regarding Breast Cancer, please click here

Day 2 - Simon

Diagnosed with Blood Cancer

Simon was diagnosed with a Blood Cancer called 'CLL' (known as 'Chronic Lympocytic Leukaemia') in 2024, following a visit to his doctor about concerns for a lump in his neck. Simon is still able to live a fairly normal lifestyle following his cancer diagnosis. However, he will now be having regular blood tests every few months so that his cancer is being monitored, and so that cancer treatment (chemotherapy) can be given to him if needed.

Thanks Simon. We're so pleased you could join us on Day 2 from Bridgwater North to Bristol Sidcot as our special guest!

To find out more information regarding Blood Cancer, please click here

Day 3 - Kyle

Diagnosed with Testicular Cancer

Kyle was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer in 2024 after finding a lump whilst in the shower. Following a scan arranged by his doctor, Kyle was able to start treatment quickly with surgery, chemotherapy & treatment as an outpatient. Kyle is now through most of his treatment & may still require further surgery at a later date once he has had an end of treatment scan. He is recovering well & is happy he is now able to start getting his life back to normal.

Thanks Kyle. We're so pleased you could join us on Day 3 from Bristol Sidcot to BHOC as our special guest!

To find out more information regarding Testicular Cancer, please click here

Latest News

Here's where we will keep you updated on our latest news...

Countdown Update

WE DID IT! The Westlake Walk is now complete.

Fundraising Update

Our current fundraising total is at the top of our website. Please donate whatever you can. Every penny really helps!

Training Update

No further training needed.

My Cancer Story

Read about how cancer affected me at just 38 as share my cancer story thanks to the Friends of BHOC charity. You can also learn about my particular cancer 'Ewing's Sarcoma' and stay up to date with my cancer treatment and progress...

My Cancer Story

Friends of BHOC charity were kind enough to invite me to share my cancer story and then published it on their website.

Have a read of my cancer story as I share my transformative year in 2023, my battles with mental and physical health, and how my year didn't quite end in the way I had planned.

Read my cancer story by clicking here.