Dudley Alderman, Steve Waltho has walked a total of over 40 miles across 19 mountain tops with over 13,000ft of ascent, raising nearly £1500 for good causes.

Steve is a Prostate Cancer survivor, and was attempting the 18 peaks in the Lake District, to raise money for the Prostate Cancer fund at New Cross Hospital and the disability charity Access In Dudley of which he is Patron.

The event should have taken place in early March but severe weather conditions meant rescheduling to another date and the weather couldn't have been more different. Steve said:

"I drove to the Lakes on Monday 12th June and immediately climbed the first route of three as I had a timeslot of four days to complete the routes.

"That was my first mistake. The high temperature took its toll and I ended up sunburnt, exhausted and dehydrated returning to my car very slowly at 10pm.

"On the drive back to my digs I clipped a lay-by kerb and punctured a tyre. In the darkness of Borrowdale by sheer luck a tyre wagon on a call out stopped to help since I had no phone signal.

"My dear wife Jayne was beside herself when I rang at 11:30pm to tell her what had happened and she demanded I take my one rest day the day after to recover and remember that I'm 67 years of age!

"Further drama ensued when I started my car the morning after to find another puncture and I just managed to inflate it sufficiently to get it to a garage.

"The next two days were two of the toughest I've ever encountered and on the final day I had to climb two 2,000ft mountains straight up sixty-degree slopes in 30 degrees temperatures. My energy just drained and I think I dug as deep as I've ever done as I sat on a rock on Red Screes overlooking the Kirkstone Pass wondering if I could carry on.

"I thought of the tragic loss of former Councillor colleague Richard Body last month who I nicknamed Iron Man because of his immense resilience on endurance events and found the inspiration to carry on in his memory."

The epic event saw Steve walk a total of over 40 miles across 19 mountain tops with over 13000ft of ascent losing half a stone in weight in the process. His latest sponsorship total was near £1500 and he still welcomes anyone who wishes to contribute to his GoFundMe fundraising page.