A 77-YEAR-old who has had cancer for 11 years has revealed his latest fundraising challenge.

Ralph White will walk 20 miles over three days at Ulverston Leisure Centre to raise money for Derian House Children's Hospice.  

Mr White, from Walney, has had stromal sarcoma of the prostate since 2012, leading to six weeks of radiotherapy and ultimately surgery and a urostomy. 

In 2021 another tumour was found, leading to further surgery. 

Despite this, Ralph said that he felt 'very lucky' to be alive especially when some children have cancer and die within a matter of months. 

Ralph chose the children's hospice because he has a family friend who had to use its services for their child.

Derian House provides end-of-life care to 400 young people and their families across Lancashire, south Cumbria and Greater Manchester.

He said the hospice not only provides care but also facilities such as a swimming pool and holiday cottages, which allow children to have one last break with their families before they die. 

He was thinking of walking further than 20 miles all the way to Chorley where his family are based and even to Manchester - but was called 'bonkers' by his relatives. 

"Thinking about it seriously, I didn't have a lot of support. I just had it in my head that I had to do something," he said. 

He agreed with his family to do it at the leisure centre so help would be at hand. He started training for the walk at the beginning of last month.

Ralph admitted that he was not looking forward to the walk.

He said: "It's a much harder distance this time."

At the end of last year, he walked two miles every day for ten days - just weeks after having a major operation - and raised £3,315 through Just Giving. 

When asked what motivates him despite his cancer, he replied: "I try to see it as an inconvenience. I have been so lucky still to be active, and children that are so young after just a few months not surviving. 

"At times you think about all sorts, but I just think I'm very lucky."