Great-grandad with cancer risks his health to help others on 460-mile journey

A great-grandfather with bladder and kidney cancer is walking 462 miles (743km) for charity, despite knowing it could impact his own treatment.

John Eryl Parry, 78, from Pontypool, Torfaen, began his coast-to-coast journey at the UK's most easterly point in Lowestoft, Suffolk, on 21 June, and is due to reach St David's Head in Pembrokeshire on 11 August.

He found out he had cancer after he fell off a ladder and was taken to hospital.

John admitted he had not told his oncology team about his challenge, but said he was warned by a doctor that his body would "change" during it, and it could impact his treatment plan.

John, who now lives in Tendring, Essex, has captured the hearts of tens of thousands of Instagram, TikTok and Facebook followers around the world where he goes under the name Welsh Grandad.

He became a social media sensation after being encouraged by his granddaughter to share his story online, and signs off his daily videos by reminding people to "be kind to one another" and to take on daily struggles "one step at a time... with love from grandad".

"I keep telling everybody I'm the luckiest person in the world," John said of his diagnosis, which was discovered after he fell off a ladder at home and suffered fractures to his skull, bleeds on his brain, and broken bones in his neck, back, face and hands.

From there, he was diagnosed with high-grade bladder cancer and cancer in his right kidney.

Speaking about his challenge, he said: "I can't cure cancer, but there's got to be something I can do."

John said he did not consider the impact on his own treatment before setting off on his challenge, adding: "Perhaps I should've [thought about it], but I didn't."

But after being told it could impact his treatment plan for bladder cancer, John's response was "that's fine", and "at least I know".

"Has my body changed? I have no idea. I've got a few aches and pains, but if I sit in a chair for too long at my age I get aches and pains," he said.

"I know I've got cancer, and I know I'm on treatment for cancer... but I don't consider it a burden.

"It's there, and I can't do anything about it. All I can do is trust in the doctors, trust in the treatment, and hope it all works.

"I missed a blood test which I should've gone in for on the second week of my walk... I'll stand a row from my doctor now when I go back!"

John surpassed his goal to raise £5,000 each for Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, St David's Hospice Care in Newport and Farleigh Hospice in Essex, within days of beginning his walk.

He is now aiming to raise £75,000 to share between the four charities, after beating and increasing his fundraising goal multiple times across the challenge.

"If I can get to £75,000 then I'll be ecstatic, but I won't stop there. I don't think I can," he said.

"I've got this feeling inside me that I've got to help more people, how I'm going to do it I don't know - but I've got to help more people."

For the last seven and a half weeks John has followed the Via Beata pilgrimage route, which means "way of blessing".

Each day is mapped out between a series of way-station milestones along the route, breaking it up into smaller sections.

Kyla Norrie, 32, from Cambridgeshire, joined John for eight days of the challenge after seeing his appeal on social media for people to join him on his daily walks.

She has driven to Pembrokeshire to walk alongside John on the final days of the challenge, and said she "can't imagine a day without having a chat to John now" with the pair catching up on daily phone calls when they couldn't walk together.

"Even after the walk, he's not getting rid of me," she said.